The Analysis of Chemotherapy Resistance in Human Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Line with an Integrated Microfluidic Device

Microchip-based systems have many desirable characteristics and can be used in much cellular biological analysis. This work studied the correlation between the expression of Glucose-regulated protein-78 (GRP78) and anticancer drug VP-16 in human non-small cell lung cancer cell line SK-MES-1 using an integrated microfluidic device. A concentration gradient of stimulator (A23187) was generated in the upstream network of the device to induce the cells cultured in the downstream. Then the cells were treated by VP-16. The expression of GRP78 was detected by immunofluorescence. Apoptosis was assessed morphologically by 4'-6-Diamidino-2-phenylindol nuclear staining for the cells treated by VP-16. The expressions of GRP78 for the A23187-induced cells increased After the treatment by VP-16, the percentage of apoptotic cells decreased with the increasing of A23187 concentration. GRP78 plays an important role in the resistance to VP-16 in SK-MES-1. This system offers a unique platform to characterize cellular responses in a high-throughput fashion.