Gut-on-a-chip for disease models

Abstract

The intestinal tract is a vital organ responsible for digestion and absorption in the human body and plays an essential role in pathogen invasion. Compared with other traditional models, gut-on-a-chip has many unique advantages, and thereby, it can be considered as a novel model for studying intestinal functions and diseases. Based on the chip design, we can replicate the in vivo microenvironment of the intestine and study the effects of individual variables on the experiment. In recent years, it has been used to study several diseases. To better mimic the intestinal microenvironment, the structure and function of gut-on-a-chip are constantly optimised and improved. Owing to the complexity of the disease mechanism, gut-on-a-chip can be used in conjunction with other organ chips. In this review, we summarise the human intestinal structure and function as well as the development and improvement of gut-on-a-chip. Finally, we present and discuss gut-on-a-chip applications in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), viral infections and phenylketonuria. Further improvement of the simulation and high throughput of gut-on-a-chip and realisation of personalised treatments are the problems that should be solved for gut-on-a-chip as a disease model.

Glutamine Promotes Porcine Intestinal Epithelial Cell Proliferation through the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway

“…Promoting IEC proliferation and differentiation has been used as a strategy to promote body health, and Gln is highlighted as a key nutrient for maintaining cell growth and cell metabolism . Generally, Wnt signaling is one of the prominent signaling pathways involved in embryonic and organ development and participates in the regulation of proliferation, differentiation, polarization, migration, and apoptosis in various cells.…”

“…Intestinal health comprehensively reflects animal body status. Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) constitute an important barrier and form a nexus between the intestinal microenvironment and the host defense system, and permanent turnover of the intestinal epithelium is necessary to maintain intestinal homeostasis. , The health of pigs, especially newborn piglets, is reportedly closely related to the development of IECs . Moreover, cell proliferation promotes the recovery of intestinal epithelial tissue after inflammatory injury .…”

A generic pump‐free organ‐on‐a‐chip platform for assessment of intestinal drug absorption

“…[5][6][7] Nevertheless, the widespread adoption of organ chip systems currently faces certain challenges, including the reliance on labor-intensive external pumps and limited throughput. [8][9][10] In addition, although microfluidic systems reduce the use of cells and drugs, they also increase the difficulty of characterization and detection.…”

“…Nevertheless, the widespread adoption of organ chip systems currently faces certain challenges, including the reliance on labor‐intensive external pumps and limited throughput. [ 8–10 ] In addition, although microfluidic systems reduce the use of cells and drugs, they also increase the difficulty of characterization and detection. For example, more precise manual operations or complex sensors are often required when measuring TEER, which can be challenging to achieve in small chips.…”

Untangling Complexity: Gut Microbiota, Metabolites, and Fiber Intake in Type 2 Diabetes

“…Such approaches are still under development but may offer an in vitro alternative. 6,7 The combination of this innovative technology with advanced metabolomics and metagenomics has the potential to revolutionize ex vivo investigations, especially in scenarios that are challenging to study in vivo, paving the way for controlled experimentation that can gain insights into the intricate dynamics of the human gut microbiota. Moreover, this technology holds promise for advancing personalized medicine approaches, for example, by utilizing patient samples for testing medication responses.…”