Design and Simulation of a Microfluidic System for Hydrodynamic Irrigation of In Vitro Pancreatic Islets

Microfluidic systems are transforming chemical and biological research by enabling precise control and analysis of fluids on a microscale. This study presents the design and computational simulation of a microfluidic system for the in vitro maintenance of pancreatic islets, critical endocrine structures of the pancreas involved in glucose regulation. Three chamber geometries-ellipsoidal, hexagonal, and rectangular-were proposed, each combined with three irrigation patterns: periphery-to-center, pole-to-pole, and a hybrid model. A total of 18 design configurations were analyzed. The irrigation channels, with a diameter of 30 µm and a bifurcation angle of 43°, were designed to mimic physiological conditions, facilitating efficient nutrient exchange. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using ANSYS Fluent demonstrated that most designs achieved a flow rate of 14.56 nL/s, closely matching theoretical values and meeting the physiological requirements of islets. Among the proposed models, the hexagonal chamber with peripheral irrigation (single-cell configuration) and the ellipsoidal chamber with periphery-to-center irrigation (dual-cell configuration) showed optimal performance, with stable laminar flow and minimal pressure drop. These results highlight the potential of this microfluidic system as an innovative tool for diabetes research, enabling the study of islet biology, drug testing, and disease modeling under controlled conditions. Future work will focus on experimental validation and optimization of the proposed designs.