DEVELOPMENT OF A SIDE-VIEW CHAMBER FOR STUDYING CELL-SURFACE ADHESIONUNDER FLOW CONDITIONS

Observing microscopic specimens is often useful in studies of cellular interaction with a vascular wall. We have developed an in vitro side- view flow chamber that permits observations from the side of the cell' s contact with various adhesive surfaces under dynamic flow conditions . This side-view flow chamber consists of two precision rectangular gl ass tubes called microslides. A smaller microslide is inserted into a larger one to create a flow channel with a flat surface on which eithe r cultured vascular endothelium can be grown or purified adhesion mole cules can be coated. Two optical prisms with a 45 degrees chromium-coa ted surface are used along the flow channel to generate light illumina tion and observation pathways. The side-view images of cell-substrate contact can be obtained using a light microscope. This design allows u s not only to measure the effects of flow on cell-surface adhesion str ength, but also to have close observation of cell deformation and adhe sive contact to various surfaces in shear flow. In addition, this cham ber can readily serve for a conventional top-view flow channel, simila r to the parallel-plate flow chambers used in many areas. The developm ent of such a side-view flow chamber can be beneficial to various in v itro applications in cellular studies that require an edge view, espec ially for various cell interactions with cultured vascular endothelium or surfaces containing single-type adhesive molecules under flow cond itions.