Phase angle spectroscopy on transparent conducting polymer electrodes for real-time measurement of epithelial barrier integrity

To facilitate automated real-time monitoring of the formation or disruption of an epithelial monolayer, phase angle spectroscopy was performed in custom-designed cell culture dishes including a transparent conductive polymer-based 2-electrode device. A peak in phi amplitude at 10(3)-10(5) Hz specifically correlated to increased capacitance by proliferating cells. Dynamic monitoring of cell density, and barrier integrity during monolayer formation and disruption were investigated in combination with live-cell microscopy.