Fig. 1
From: Vaginal microbiome-host interactions modeled in a human vagina-on-a-chip
Characterization of a microfluidic human vagina-on-a-chip model. A A diagram of a two-channel organ chip viewed from above (left) and a higher magnification micrograph through a cross section of a vagina chip showing a stratified human vaginal epithelial cells cultured in the top channel atop a 50-μm thick porous membrane (dashed lines indicate top and bottom surface) with human uterine fibroblasts cultured on the opposed side of the membrane in the lower channel (right). B Representative cross-sectional immunofluorescence micrographs of human vagina chips showing squamous stratified vaginal epithelium immunostained for CK14, CK15, CK5, CK13, Involucrin, ZO-1, E-cadherin, DSG-3, DSG-1, and F-actin (to show all cells). Dashed line, upper boundary of the porous membrane; yellow, different markers; magenta, DAPI-stained nuclei. C A graph showing the changes in apparent permeability (P app) of the vaginal tissue barrier measured on-chip for two human donors 05328 (Hispanic) and 04033 (Caucasian) measured by quantifying Cascade Blue transport. Data are presented as mean ± s.d.; n = 4. D RT-qPCR results showing relative mRNA expression of ESR1, PGR, PCK1, GCGR, KRT15, CLDN17, and ZO-1 in the vagina chip before (D0) and after differentiation on day 10 in the presence or absence of 0.4 nM (blue) or 4 nM (green) β-estradiol (D10)