Microfluidic chip integrated with flexible PDMS-based electrochemical cytosensor for dynamic analysis of drug-induced apoptosis on HeLa cells

• Microfluidic chip integrated with flexible electrochemical cytosensor was developed.
• Electrochemical measurements and optical microscope observations was performed.
• Label-free, on-site, and real-time monitoring of cell behavior.
• Dynamic analysis of the proliferation and apoptosis of HeLa cells.
• Exhibiting attractive performance in on-site monitoring of cell behavior.

A novel microfluidic platform integrated with a flexible PDMS-based electrochemical cytosensor was developed for real-time monitoring of the proliferation and apoptosis of HeLa cells. The PDMS-gold film, which had a conductive smooth surface and was semi-transparent, facilitated electrochemical measurements and optical microscope observations. We observed distinct increases and decreases in peak current intensity, corresponding to cell proliferation in culture medium and apoptosis in the presence of an anticancer drug, respectively. This electrochemical analysis method permitted real-time, label-free monitoring of cell behavior, and the electrochemical results were confirmed with optical microscopy. The flexible microfluidic electrochemical platform presented here is suitable for on-site monitoring of cell behavior in microenvironments.