Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026
08:59
An Intestine/Liver Microphysiological System for Drug Pharmacokinetic and Toxicological Assessment
Published on: December 3, 2020
Quercetin Alleviates Intestinal and Liver Dysfunction Induced by Hypoxia in a Microphysiological System
Zhuan Liu1,2, Lin Li1,2, Tingting Yang1,2
1School of Biomedical Engineering, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
|May 18, 2026
Summary
Pathological hypoxia harms the gut and liver. A new biomimetic gut-liver microphysiological system (GLMPS) models these effects, revealing quercetin
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Toxicology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Pathological hypoxia, like high-altitude exposure, poses systemic health risks.
- Hypoxia's specific impact on the intestine and liver is not fully understood due to model limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate hypoxia-induced injury mechanisms in the gut-liver axis.
- To establish a biomimetic gut-liver microphysiological system (GLMPS) for studying these effects.
Main Methods:
- Co-culturing human gut (Caco-2/HT29) and liver (HepG2) cell lines in a GLMPS.
- Exposing cells to 1% O2 for 48 hours to induce hypoxia.
- Utilizing transcriptomic analysis and assessing cellular responses.
Main Results:
- Hypoxia increased intestinal barrier permeability, inflammation, and apoptosis in gut and liver cells.
- Transcriptomics revealed shared endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis pathways.
- Quercetin treatment mitigated hypoxia-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis via autophagy enhancement.
Conclusions:
- The GLMPS serves as a viable biomimetic in vitro platform for studying gut-liver axis pathologies.
- This model facilitates the exploration of therapeutic targets for hypoxia-related diseases.
