Proximal Tubule On A Chip For Evaluating P-Glycoprotein Transport Property

P-glycoprotein (P-gp), one of transporters in the human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (RPTECs), plays an important role on the excretion of drugs. Therefore, evaluating the transport property of P-gp can help in the development of ideal pharmacokinetics drugs. In this study, we fabricated a bi-channel microfluidic device lined by RPTECs on the apical channel, and measured the P-gp activity by quantifying the transport of Rhodamine123 (Rho123), a substrate of P-gp, from apical to basolateral channels and vice versa. The amount of Rho123 transported from the basolateral channel to the apical channel was over 2-fold compared to that from the apical channel to the basolateral channel. This indicates that the microfluidic device can evaluate the P-gp transport property quantitatively. This microfluidic device will be able to serve as a useful tool for drug screening.