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From Static to Dynamic: A Review on the Role of Mucus Heterogeneity in Particle and Microbial Transport

Dipesh Dinanath Pednekar1, Madison A Liguori1, Claudia N H Marques

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of New Haven, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, United States.

ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
|June 13, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Mucus layers (McLs) vary significantly across organs and individuals, impacting health and disease. Understanding this mucus heterogeneity is crucial for advancing treatments and predicting pathogen behavior.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Science
  • Mucosal Immunology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Mucus layers (McLs) are vital for human defense, organ lubrication, nutrient absorption, and drug delivery.
  • McLs' heterogeneity in thickness, composition, and physiology presents challenges in understanding their roles in health and disease.
  • Existing knowledge gaps hinder the development of advanced mucosal organoids and effective drug delivery systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively review mucus layer (McL) heterogeneity across different organs, health states, and experimental conditions.
  • To highlight recent advancements in experimental measurements, data analysis, and modeling for simulating mucus physiology.
  • To emphasize the urgent need for understanding McL heterogeneity for improved mucosal organoids and drug delivery.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing existing research on mucus layer (McL) variations.
  • Analysis of recent experimental techniques for measuring mucus properties.
  • Overview of computational modeling approaches for simulating mucus behavior.

Main Results:

  • Mucus layers exhibit significant heterogeneity in thickness, composition, and physiological function across various organs and individuals.
  • Recent experimental and computational methods offer new ways to characterize and understand mucus properties.
  • This heterogeneity impacts nutrient absorption, drug delivery, and susceptibility to infections like coronavirus (CoV).

Conclusions:

  • A deeper understanding of mucus layer (McL) heterogeneity is essential for developing effective therapeutic strategies and disease models.
  • Addressing mucus heterogeneity will advance mucosal organoid technology and drug delivery systems.
  • Characterizing mucus variations can improve predictions of pathogen behavior, such as SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Keywords:
data analysisdynamic vs staticheterogeneitymicroscopic viscoelasticitymucus layersnative vs reconstituted mucus layersparticle transport

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