Figure 1. Microfluidic co-culture platform to study the interactions between carcinoma aggregates and macrophages.
A. Photograph of the polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) device. B. Schematic images of an enlarged, isometric view of the channel layout showing the orientation of co-culturing carcinoma cell aggregates and endothelial cells (HUVECs), with macrophages either physically contacting (left panel; 1: media channel; 2: A549 aggregates and macrophages gel channel; 3. supporting gel channel; 4: HUVEC monolayer) or cultured under separated conditions (right panel; 1: media channel; 2: A549 aggregates gel channel; 3. macrophages gel channel; 4: HUVEC monolayer). C. HUVEC monolayers formed in the microfluidic channel. Green: GFP-HUVECs. D–F. E-cadherin immunocytochemical staining. E-cadherin expression of A549 aggregates at 0 h (D), E-cadherin expression of A549 aggregates in the absence (E) or presence (F) of macrophages at 36 h. Green: E-cadherin staining, red: mCherry A549 nuclei.