Compatibility of Popular Three-Dimensional Printed Microfluidics Materials with In Vitro Enzymatic Reactions

3D printed microfluidics offer several
advantages over conventional
planar microfabrication techniques including fabrication of 3D microstructures,
rapid prototyping, and inertness. While 3D printed materials have
been studied for their biocompatibility in cell and tissue culture
applications, their compatibility for in vitro biochemistry and molecular
biology has not been systematically investigated. Here, we evaluate
the compatibility of several common enzymatic reactions in the context
of 3D-printed microfluidics: (1) polymerase chain reaction (PCR),
(2) T7 in vitro transcription, (3) mammalian in vitro translation,
and (4) reverse transcription. Surprisingly, all the materials tested
significantly inhibit one or more of these in vitro enzymatic reactions.
Inclusion of BSA mitigates only some of these inhibitory effects.
Overall, inhibition appears to be due to a combination of the surface
properties of the resins as well as soluble components (leachate)
originating in the matrix.