[Advances of gut-on-a-chip for exploring host-microbe interactions]

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• The human gut hosts a complex microbial ecosystem vital for nutrient absorption, drug metabolism, and immune function.
• Microfluidics and organ-on-a-chip technologies have advanced the ability to model intricate biological systems.
• Gut-on-a-chip platforms offer in vitro recapitulation of the human gut's physiological environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the physiological characteristics of the human gut.
• To summarize the advantages of microfluidic gut-on-a-chip models in mimicking the intestinal system.
• To review the progress, challenges, and prospects of gut-on-a-chip technology for studying host-microbe interactions.

Main Methods:

• Introduction to human gut physiology.
• Comprehensive summary of microfluidic chip advantages for in vitro intestinal system recapitulation.
• Discussion of key performance indicators for gut-on-a-chip evaluation.
• Review of gut-on-a-chip applications in gut microecology, disease modeling, and drug evaluation.

Main Results:

• Gut-on-a-chip models effectively integrate microenvironmental factors like cell components, fluid dynamics, oxygen gradients, and mechanical forces.
• The technology provides a unique platform for studying host-microbe interactions in vitro.
• Progress has been made in applying gut-on-a-chip models to gut microecology, disease modeling, and drug evaluation.

Conclusions:

• Gut-on-a-chip technology is a powerful tool for modeling host-microbe interactions in vitro.
• The platform facilitates in-depth studies of gut microecology, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic efficacy.
• Further development is needed to address challenges and fully realize the potential of gut-on-a-chip applications.