Microparticle transport in the human intestinal M cell model

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• M cells are crucial for mucosal immunity and antigen sampling.
• Developing in vitro models of M cells is essential for studying oral transport.
• Caco-2 cell monocultures are commonly used but may not fully represent M cell function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct and validate a human M cell model.
• To evaluate the transport of polystyrene and albumin microparticles using this model.
• To assess the model's utility for oral vaccine delivery formulation screening.

Main Methods:

• Co-culturing cells to create an M cell model on transwell inserts (3 and 8 microm).
• Assessing model integrity using transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER).
• Quantifying M-cell-like cell presence via alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity.
• Measuring the transport of Fluoresbrite and albumin microparticles across the models.

Main Results:

• Both Caco-2 monocultures and the M cell model transported microparticles.
• Albumin microparticle transport was significantly higher in the M cell model compared to Caco-2 monoculture (p < 0.05).
• The M cell model demonstrated comparable TEER and a 15-36% reduction in AP activity versus Caco-2 monoculture.

Conclusions:

• A functional human M cell model was successfully developed.
• This model facilitates the study of microparticle transport, particularly for oral delivery.
• The model shows promise for optimizing microparticle-based oral vaccine formulations.