A high-throughput permeability assay platform for shear stress characterization of endothelial cells

We characterized the first high-throughput permeability assay platform enabling compound permeability assays, at the full spectrum (1-60dyn/cm²) of shear stress, on endothelial cells. The platform comprises four parallel channels, with a porous membrane bonded between layers enabling permeability assays under four shear stresses per chip, ranging ~15x in magnitude. In the bEnd.3 brain endothelial cell line, decreased permeability was observed at rates of 4.06e^-8 and 6.04e^-8cm/s per unit shear stress (dyn/cm²) for FITC-Dextran and propidium iodide, respectively. Image analysis of cell stains indicated increased elongation and cell alignment with shear stress at rates of 9.15e^-4 and 0.12° per dyn/cm², respectively.