Investigation of Biomechanical Stimuli on HUVECs in in-vitro Models

Biomechanical stimuli are one of the main elements that influence cell behavior inside our body. Understanding how cell respond to those stimuli is very complicated and sometimes still unclear. Hydrostatic pressure together with shear stress and strain are crucial to maintain the cardiovascular homeostasis. Hydrostatic pressure, in particular, plays a significant role in the cardiovascular system and impairment in its physiological values can cause hypertension which lead to the arise of cardiovascular diseases, which are the main cause of death in the United States. Since the role and the influence of hydrostatic pressure on the cell behavior is not completely understood and clear, the main focus of my thesis is concentrated on the investigation of the effect of this stimulus on HUVECs. Morphological, viability and RNA-seq analysis are conducted on cell stimulated with a wide range of pressure conditions and waveforms. The pressure is applied through the use of a new high-throughput pressure device. This device is compatible with a 96-well plate and 12 different pressure conditions can be performed simultaneously on cells. The gene expression of HUVECs stimulated with hydrostatic pressure and shear stress are compared to investigate the relationship between these stimuli. Eventually, it is well known that recreating physiological conditions at the microscale provides a more favorable environment for cells compared to macro-scale environments. As a result, a novel microfluidic environment has been developed to incorporate all the biomechanical stimuli present in the cardiovascular system. The objective is to investigate how these stimuli collectively interact to shape the cellular phenotype and determine their specific roles in HUVECs.