Gut microbe-skin axis on a chip for reproducing the inflammatory crosstalk

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics and Organ-on-a-Chip Technology
• Microbiome Research
• Dermatology and Skin Biology

Background:

• The gut-skin axis links gut microbiota to skin health and disease.
• Investigating gut-skin interactions is challenging due to a lack of suitable experimental models.
• Understanding these mechanisms is vital for developing novel therapeutic strategies for skin conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel microfluidic platform, the gut microbe-skin (GMS) chip.
• To model the interactions between gut microbiota, intestinal cells, and skin cells.
• To investigate the role of gut microbes in modulating skin health and disease.

Main Methods:

• Development of a microfluidic GMS chip enabling co-culture of Caco-2 intestinal cells, HEKa skin cells, and gut microbes.
• Replication of physiological conditions including fluidic connection and oxygen gradients within the chip.
• Induction of intestinal damage using dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to assess impacts on skin cells.

Main Results:

• The GMS chip successfully supported co-culture of intestinal and skin cells with gut bacteria (E. coli, LGG).
• Intestinal barrier disruption led to decreased skin cell viability.
• Pretreatment with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) protected skin cells by enhancing intestinal barrier function.

Conclusions:

• The GMS chip is a validated platform for studying the gut-skin axis and microbiome-gut-skin interactions.
• This model demonstrates the direct influence of gut microbiota on skin health.
• The findings highlight the potential of targeting the gut microbiome for skin disease management.