Introduction: Hypertension is the number one risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Total peripheral resistance (TPR) is strongly involved in blood pressure homeostasis. TPR is primarily determined by resistance arteries (RAs). Pathogenic factors which change RA structure are associated with cardiovascular disease. Despite this, methods employed in the study of RAs lack efficiency.
Methods: A polymer microfluidic device (Artery-on-a-Chip Device, AoC) made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was developed. RAs from CD1 mice were measured on the device. Their responses to phenylephrine (PE), acetylcholine (Ach), FURA-2 imaging, and 24-h culture were assessed.
Results: Following several modifications, vessel function on the AoC device was successfully measured. Robust PE constriction and Ach-induced vasodilation were observed. AoC arteries were viable after 24-hour culture, and FURA-2 was successfully imaged.
Conclusions: The AoC device is a viable alternative to cannulation myography. The AoC can greatly increase the efficiency of RA studies, while also decreasing training time and difficulty.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/25836 |
| Date | 12 January 2011 |
| Creators | Vagaon, Andrei Iulian |
| Contributors | Bolz, Steffen Sebastian |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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