H. Hillebrandt et al., Electrical and optical characterization of thrombin-induced permeability of cultured endothelial cell monolayers on semiconductor electrode arrays, APPL PHYS A, 73(5), 2001, pp. 539-546
Impedance spectroscopy and phase-contrast microscopy are combined to monito
r the electrical and morphological properties of human umbilical vein endot
helial cell monolayers. The cells were cultured on optically transparent in
dium-tin-oxide (ITO) semiconductor electrode arrays coated with collagen IV
, and the effect of the inflammatory mediator thrombin on monolayer permeab
ility was monitored in real time. ITO electrodes provide several advantages
for these kinds of experiments, because they are optically transparent, po
larizable and highly sensitive due to the absence of insulating oxide layer
s. A qualitative correlation between the thrombin-induced gap formation and
the electrical parameters of the cell layer is established.