An automated microfluidic platform for toxicity testing based on Caenorhabditis elegans

Humans are frequently exposed to a multitude of chemicals daily, necessitating efficient methods for rapidly assessing toxicity and potential health risks. Microfluidics has shown promise as an intelligent tool for rapid compound testing, owing to its flexibility in integrating with automated devices. The article introduces an automated microfluidic platform, based on Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) , designed for chemical toxicity testing. This platform consists of three modules – worm culture, monitoring, and image analysis – which enable automated worm culturing, drug delivery, periodic monitoring, and automated phenotypic analysis. Researchers have designed a bridged microfluidic chip that permits worms to move freely during experiments and established an economical monitoring module for long-term tracking and periodic imaging. Furthermore, they have developed an automated image analysis algorithm to automatically determine worm bending frequency. The platform was subsequently utilized for long-term toxicological assessments of the organophosphate pesticide and environmental pollutants, as well as to investigate the effects of tobacco components on various neuronal pathways within the worm. Results indicated that the platform can effectively evaluate the neurotoxic and developmental impacts of chemicals, offering scientific evidence for safety evaluations of tobacco products. The automated microfluidic worm analysis platform holds significant potential for applications in tobacco product safety assessment, drug screening, and neurotoxicology research, contributing to human health and industry advancement.