(Invited) Chip Based Electrochemical Imaging of Neuron Transmitters Expression at Single PC12 Cell and 3-D Spheroids Level

Abstract

Understanding and controlling the interface between neuronal cells and neuronal network and electrical devices is vital to both biological science and technology. Recent developments in the field of in vitro neuron mapping focus on the development of optical and electrochemical strategies for either single neuron cell/neuron measurement or artificial neuronal networks/brain slices mapping. To mimic in vivo neuronal networks and to elucidate the mechanisms of computation, spontaneous and elicited electrical activity need to be monitored, and multiple simultaneous recordings are required for monitoring individual unit and collective network activity. In this way, both individual cells and cell networks can be scrutinized in order to understand how changes in single unit activity and functionality. In the present study, we developed a large-scale integration -based amperometric sensor array system for electrochemical bioimaging and throughput sensing of dopamine expression from three-dimensional (3D)-cultured PC12 cells upon dopaminergic drugs exposure. It has been shown that individual cells behave differently from the population even under the identical conditions, as a complementary study, we also explore the possibility of single cell-on-chip based analytical technique which can collect real-time change in cell physiology by measurement of cell exocytosis, i.e., release of neurotransmitters, in a neuronal model cell line, i.e. PC12 cells. The study of single cell dynamics could help us better understand the complex processes, such as, neurotransmitter kinetics, ion channel functions, and cell communications, single cell analysis can be an equivalent and complementary strategy to existing approaches.