Desenvolvimento de dispositivo de microfluídica associado a método de detecção eletroquímica (cronoamperometria): uma técnica alternativa de baixo custo para estudos de bicamadas lipídicas artificiais

Abstract

Many research groups around the world have directed their efforts to the study of artificial lipid bilayers. For this purpose, several lipid bilayer synthesis protocols were developed. These protocols allow the synthesis of bilayers with varied lipid compositions, with different purposes of study, such as the efficient and safe delivery of drugs to the cellular interior, or to better understand how the interactions between nanoparticles and membranes occur and what their possible effects. To this end, associations have been made between microfluidic systems and synthetic lipid bilayer synthesis methods, however, these systems are complex, require sophisticated technical devices and set ups, with the inconvenience of the establishment of unstable lipid bilayers. In this context, the main objective of the present work was the development of a microfluidic device associated with electrochemical detection system (chronoamperometry), with the following characteristics: simplicity and rapid construction, high durability, built from low cost materials, with a high degree of sensitivity and functionality and that allows the synthesis of artificial lipid bilayers stable in its interior, and can thus serve as a powerful tool for studies involving lipid bilayers. The chronoamperometric results suggest, through the control basal current (± 5nA), that approximately 5 minutes after the insertion of 1 uL of the phospholipid suspension, a stable lipid bilayer has been formed within the central microchannel as a function of time. Thus, these results suggest that the device manufactured in the context of this work can be applied efficiently for studies involving artificial lipid bilayers.