Interface-engineered Caco-2 cell culture on a collagen-coated liquid-liquid interface in a microfluidic device

chemistry Medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry Nano- and molecular-scale electronics Nano-biomaterials and bioscience Nanomagnetics Nanomaterials, thin films and nanointerfaces Nanomedicine Nanometrology and nanomechanics Nano-optics Nanopatterning, self-assembly and nanofabrication Nanostructures for energy and sensing applications Natural products chemistry Organo main group chemistry Other nanotechnology (unclassified) Other organic chemistry (unclassified) Photochemistry and photovoltaics Physical organic chemistry Supramolecular chemistry Epithelial tissues form selective barriers essential for physiological homeostasis. Conventional in vitro models rely on solid substrate, which limit the physicochemical flexibility of the cellular microenvironment. Here, we introduce a microfluidic platform in which a collagen-coated liquid-liquid interface formed between perfluorocarbon (FC-43) and culture medium serves as a substrate for epithelial cell adhesion. By culturing Caco-2 cells in the device, we show that the liquid interface supports cell attachment and the formation of near-confluent monolayers. Immunofluorescence observation reveals the development of tight junctions and organized actin cytoskeletons, indicating early-stage epithelial maturation. Our new microfluidic system enables the formation of stable liquid-liquid interfaces that serve as viable and flexible substrates for epithelial cell culture, offering new opportunities for multiphase microfluidic models of epithelial barriers.

gut-on-a-chip; liquid-liquid interface; collagen; Caco-2; FC-43 | Format: PDF | Size: 884.9 KB | Download | When a peer-reviewed version of this preprint is available, this information will be updated in the information box above. If no peer-reviewed version is available, please cite this preprint using the following information: Kuriu, S.; Kim, S. H. Beilstein Arch. 2026, 202610. doi:10.3762/bxiv.2026.10.v1 Citation data can be downloaded as file using the "Download" button or used for copy/paste from the text window below. Citation data in RIS format can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Zotero. © 2026 Kuriu and Kim; licensee Beilstein-Institut. This is an open access work licensed under the terms of the Beilstein-Institut Open Access License Agreement (https://www.beilstein-archives.org/xiv/terms), which is identical to the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). The reuse of material under this license requires that the author(s), source and license are credited. Third-party material in this work could be subject to other licenses (typically indicated in the credit line), and in this case, users are required to obtain permission from the license holder to reuse the material.