Dielectrophoresis as a Tool to Reveal the Potential Role of Ion Channels and Early Electrophysiological Changes in Osteoarthritis
Diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) are commonly characterized at the molecular scale by gene expression and subsequent protein production; likewise, the effects of pharmaceutical interventions are typically characterized by the effects of molecular interactions. However, these phenomena are usuall...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-08-01
|
| Series: | Micromachines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/12/8/949 |
| _version_ | 1827684760309202944 |
|---|---|
| author | Rula Abdallat Emily Kruchek Csaba Matta Rebecca Lewis Fatima H. Labeed |
| author_facet | Rula Abdallat Emily Kruchek Csaba Matta Rebecca Lewis Fatima H. Labeed |
| author_sort | Rula Abdallat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) are commonly characterized at the molecular scale by gene expression and subsequent protein production; likewise, the effects of pharmaceutical interventions are typically characterized by the effects of molecular interactions. However, these phenomena are usually preceded by numerous precursor steps, many of which involve significant ion influx or efflux. As a consequence, rapid assessment of cell electrophysiology could play a significant role in unravelling the mechanisms underlying drug interactions and progression of diseases, such as OA. In this study, we used dielectrophoresis (DEP), a technique that allows rapid, label-free determination of the dielectric parameters to assess the role of potassium ions on the dielectric characteristics of chondrocytes, and to investigate the electrophysiological differences between healthy chondrocytes and those from an in vitro arthritic disease model. Our results showed that DEP was able to detect a significant decrease in membrane conductance (6191 ± 738 vs. 8571 ± 1010 S/m<sup>2</sup>), membrane capacitance (10.3 ± 1.47 vs. 14.5 ± 0.01 mF/m<sup>2</sup>), and whole cell capacitance (5.4 ± 0.7 vs. 7.5 ± 0.3 pF) following inhibition of potassium channels using 10 mM tetraethyl ammonium, compared to untreated healthy chondrocytes. Moreover, cells from the OA model had a different response to DEP force in comparison to healthy cells; this was seen in terms of both a decreased membrane conductivity (782 S/m<sup>2</sup> vs. 1139 S/m<sup>2</sup>) and a higher whole cell capacitance (9.58 ± 3.4 vs. 3.7 ± 1.3 pF). The results show that DEP offers a high throughput method, capable of detecting changes in membrane electrophysiological properties and differences between disease states. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:35:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f9d328591fe24af89fbaeefd4a488bc0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:35:42Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj.art-f9d328591fe24af89fbaeefd4a488bc02023-11-22T08:44:29ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2021-08-0112894910.3390/mi12080949Dielectrophoresis as a Tool to Reveal the Potential Role of Ion Channels and Early Electrophysiological Changes in OsteoarthritisRula Abdallat0Emily Kruchek1Csaba Matta2Rebecca Lewis3Fatima H. Labeed4Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Hashemite University, P.O. Box 330127, Zarqa 13133, JordanCentre for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, Surrey, UKDepartment of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt 98, 4032 Debrecen, HungarySchool of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7AL, Surrey, UKCentre for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, Surrey, UKDiseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) are commonly characterized at the molecular scale by gene expression and subsequent protein production; likewise, the effects of pharmaceutical interventions are typically characterized by the effects of molecular interactions. However, these phenomena are usually preceded by numerous precursor steps, many of which involve significant ion influx or efflux. As a consequence, rapid assessment of cell electrophysiology could play a significant role in unravelling the mechanisms underlying drug interactions and progression of diseases, such as OA. In this study, we used dielectrophoresis (DEP), a technique that allows rapid, label-free determination of the dielectric parameters to assess the role of potassium ions on the dielectric characteristics of chondrocytes, and to investigate the electrophysiological differences between healthy chondrocytes and those from an in vitro arthritic disease model. Our results showed that DEP was able to detect a significant decrease in membrane conductance (6191 ± 738 vs. 8571 ± 1010 S/m<sup>2</sup>), membrane capacitance (10.3 ± 1.47 vs. 14.5 ± 0.01 mF/m<sup>2</sup>), and whole cell capacitance (5.4 ± 0.7 vs. 7.5 ± 0.3 pF) following inhibition of potassium channels using 10 mM tetraethyl ammonium, compared to untreated healthy chondrocytes. Moreover, cells from the OA model had a different response to DEP force in comparison to healthy cells; this was seen in terms of both a decreased membrane conductivity (782 S/m<sup>2</sup> vs. 1139 S/m<sup>2</sup>) and a higher whole cell capacitance (9.58 ± 3.4 vs. 3.7 ± 1.3 pF). The results show that DEP offers a high throughput method, capable of detecting changes in membrane electrophysiological properties and differences between disease states.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/12/8/949dielectrophoresisDEPion channelsosteoarthritischondrocytesdetection |
| spellingShingle | Rula Abdallat Emily Kruchek Csaba Matta Rebecca Lewis Fatima H. Labeed Dielectrophoresis as a Tool to Reveal the Potential Role of Ion Channels and Early Electrophysiological Changes in Osteoarthritis Micromachines dielectrophoresis DEP ion channels osteoarthritis chondrocytes detection |
| title | Dielectrophoresis as a Tool to Reveal the Potential Role of Ion Channels and Early Electrophysiological Changes in Osteoarthritis |
| title_full | Dielectrophoresis as a Tool to Reveal the Potential Role of Ion Channels and Early Electrophysiological Changes in Osteoarthritis |
| title_fullStr | Dielectrophoresis as a Tool to Reveal the Potential Role of Ion Channels and Early Electrophysiological Changes in Osteoarthritis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dielectrophoresis as a Tool to Reveal the Potential Role of Ion Channels and Early Electrophysiological Changes in Osteoarthritis |
| title_short | Dielectrophoresis as a Tool to Reveal the Potential Role of Ion Channels and Early Electrophysiological Changes in Osteoarthritis |
| title_sort | dielectrophoresis as a tool to reveal the potential role of ion channels and early electrophysiological changes in osteoarthritis |
| topic | dielectrophoresis DEP ion channels osteoarthritis chondrocytes detection |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/12/8/949 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rulaabdallat dielectrophoresisasatooltorevealthepotentialroleofionchannelsandearlyelectrophysiologicalchangesinosteoarthritis AT emilykruchek dielectrophoresisasatooltorevealthepotentialroleofionchannelsandearlyelectrophysiologicalchangesinosteoarthritis AT csabamatta dielectrophoresisasatooltorevealthepotentialroleofionchannelsandearlyelectrophysiologicalchangesinosteoarthritis AT rebeccalewis dielectrophoresisasatooltorevealthepotentialroleofionchannelsandearlyelectrophysiologicalchangesinosteoarthritis AT fatimahlabeed dielectrophoresisasatooltorevealthepotentialroleofionchannelsandearlyelectrophysiologicalchangesinosteoarthritis |