Typical in vitro barrier and co-culture models rely upon thick semi-permeable polymeric membranes that physically separate two compartments. Polymeric track-etched membranes, while permeable to small molecules, are far from physiological with respect to physical interactions with co-cultured cells and are not compatible with high-resolution imaging due to light scattering and autofluorescence. Here we report on an optically transparent ultrathin membrane with porosity exceeding 20%. We optimize deposition and annealing conditions to create a tensile and robust porous silicon dioxide membrane that is comparable in thickness to the vascular basement membrane (100-300 nm). We demonstrate that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) spread and proliferate on these membranes similarly to control substrates. Additionally, HUVECs are able to transfer cytoplasmic cargo to adipose-derived stem cells when they are co-cultured on opposite sides of the membrane, demonstrating its thickness supports physiologically relevant cellular interactions. Lastly, we confirm that these porous glass membranes are compatible with lift-off processes yielding membrane sheets with an active area of many square centimeters. We believe that these membranes will enable new in vitro barrier and co-culture models while offering dramatically improved visualization compared to conventional alternatives.

中文翻译：

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适用于细胞屏障和共培养模型的超薄透明膜。

典型的体外屏障和共培养模型依赖于物理上分隔两个隔室的厚半渗透性聚合物膜。聚合物径迹蚀刻膜虽然可渗透小分子，但与共培养细胞的物理相互作用远非生理性，并且由于光散射和自发荧光而与高分辨率成像不兼容。在这里，我们报道了一种光学透明的超薄膜，其孔隙率超过20％。我们优化沉积和退火条件，以创建可拉伸且坚固的多孔二氧化硅膜，其厚度可与血管基底膜（100-300 nm）相比。我们证明了人类脐静脉内皮细胞（HUVECs）扩散和增殖这些膜上类似于控制基板。另外，当它们在膜的相反两侧共培养时，HUVEC能够将细胞质货物转移至脂肪干细胞，证明其厚度支持生理学相关的细胞相互作用。最后，我们确认这些多孔玻璃膜与剥离工艺兼容，产生的活性面积为数平方厘米的膜片。我们相信，与传统的替代品相比，这些膜将能够实现新的体外屏障和共培养模型，同时提供显着改善的可视性。我们确认这些多孔玻璃膜与剥离工艺兼容，产生的活性面积为数平方厘米的膜片。我们相信，与传统的替代品相比，这些膜将能够实现新的体外屏障和共培养模型，同时提供显着改善的可视性。我们确认这些多孔玻璃膜与剥离工艺兼容，可生产出具有数平方厘米有效面积的膜片。我们相信，与传统的替代品相比，这些膜将能够实现新的体外屏障和共培养模型，同时提供显着改善的可视性。