Recent breakthroughs in organ-on-a-chip and related technologies have highlighted the extraordinary potential for microfluidics to not only make lasting impacts in the understanding of biological systems but also to create new and important in vitro culture platforms. Adipose tissue (fat), in particular, is one that should be amenable to microfluidic mimics of its microenvironment. While the tissue was traditionally considered important only for energy storage, it is now understood to be an integral part of the endocrine system that secretes hormones and responds to various stimuli. As such, adipocyte function is central to the understanding of pathological conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Despite the importance of the tissue, only recently have significant strides been made in studying dynamic function of adipocytes or adipose tissues on microfluidic devices. In this critical review, we highlight new developments in the special class of microfluidic systems aimed at culture and interrogation of adipose tissue, a sub-field of microfluidics that we contend is only in its infancy. We close by reflecting on these studies as we forecast a promising future, where microfluidic technologies should be capable of mimicking the adipose tissue microenvironment and provide novel insights into its physiological roles in the normal and diseased states. Graphical abstract This critical review focuses on recent developments and challenges in applying microfluidic systems to the culture and analysis of adipocytes and adipose tissue.
Keywords: Adipocyte; Adipokine; Batokine; Bioanalytical methods; Hormone; Microfluidics microfabrication.