Micro fluidic device to analyze the effect of cadmium on Caenorhabditis elegans

To analyze the condition of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a bioindicator, a micro fluidic device is developed. It can culture C. elegans and measure its capacitance change to assess the body volume of C. elegans; it is one of the characteristics to analyze the condition of C. elegans and directly measured from its capacitance change because the capacitance has a correlation with the body volume of C. elegans. The proposed micro fluidic device was implemented using a PDMS layer and a glass substrate that were bonded together. The PDMS layer has valves to control the position of C. elegans. Inside a chamber, it can culture and analyze the C. elegans. A pair of electrodes is used to measure the capacitance change. In this study, total of 10 L4 larval stage C. elegans were introduced into a chamber to be cultured and measured their capacitance change over 24 h. It was confirmed the correlation between the capacitance change and the body volume of C. elegans; r = 0.918 (p <; 0.05) and the possibility of the proposed micro fluidic device that can analyze the condition of C. elegans as a bioindicator.