Deformation and Migration Measurements of U87 Glioma Cell Line using
Dielectrophoresis in the Microfluidic Device
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive malignant primary brain
tumor. We need to better understand its microenvironment to design
effective treatment strategies. Hence, characterization of glioma cells
while providing their genetic and phenotypic stability is crucial. Here,
we used dielectrophoresis (DEP) to underline the deformational
heterogeneity of U87 glioma cell line. We fabricated a gold
microelectrode array within a microfluidic channel and applied 3 V
pp and 30 kHz to 10 MHz frequencies to generate DEP
forces. We analyzed dielectrophoretic movement and deformation of 100
glioma cells. We observed that U87 glioma cells exhibited crossover
frequency around 100 kHz - 200 kHz. The mean dielectrophoretic
displacements of glioma cells were significantly different at varying
frequencies with the maximum and minimum travel distances of 13.22 µm
and 1.37 µm, respectively. The dielectrophoretic deformation indexes of
U87 glioma cells altered between 0.027 – 0.040. It was 0.036 in the
absence of dielectrophoretic forces. When we applied 3 V
pp and 30 kHz to 10 MHz frequencies, the mean
deformation indexes of the glioma cells did not significantly vary
between 30 kHz - 500 kHz. The mean value of the deformation index was
0.028 under the influences of strong positive DEP forces when 500 kHz to
10 MHz were applied.