A portable culture chamber for studying the effects of hydrostatic pressure on cellular monolayers

Hydrostatic pressure is one of the most fundamental and common mechanical stimuli in the body, playing a critical role in the homeostasis of all organ systems. Kidney function is affected by high blood pressure, namely hypertension, by the increased pressure acting on the glomerular capillary walls. This general effect of hypertension is diagnosed as a chronic disease, but underlying mechanistic causes are still not well understood. This paper reports a portable and adaptive device for studying the effects of hydrostatic pressure on a monolayer of cells. The fabricated device fits within a conventional incubation system and microscope. The effects of various pressures and durations were evaluated on a confluent layer of human endothelial cells. We found that a fluid pressure (i.e. hydrostatic pressure) can alter the morphology of the cells and that returning to an ambient pressure can reverse the changes in morphology. Thus, this study provides a proof-of-principle demonstration that this tool can be utilized for exploring the effects of hydrostatic pressure on mammalian cells.