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Kaden T, Alonso-Roman R, Akbarimoghaddam P, Mosig AS, Graf K, Raasch M, Hoffmann B, Figge MT, Hube B, Gresnigt MS. Modeling of intravenous caspofungin administration using an intestine-on-chip reveals altered Candida albicans microcolonies and pathogenicity. Biomaterials 2024; 307:122525. [PMID: 38489910 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2024.122525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Candida albicans is a commensal yeast of the human intestinal microbiota that, under predisposing conditions, can become pathogenic and cause life-threatening systemic infections (candidiasis). Fungal-host interactions during candidiasis are commonly studied using conventional 2D in vitro models, which have provided critical insights into the pathogenicity. However, microphysiological models with a higher biological complexity may be more suitable to mimic in vivo-like infection processes and antifungal drug efficacy. Therefore, a 3D intestine-on-chip model was used to investigate fungal-host interactions during the onset of invasive candidiasis and evaluate antifungal treatment under clinically relevant conditions. By combining microbiological and image-based analyses we quantified infection processes such as invasiveness and fungal translocation across the epithelial barrier. Additionally, we obtained novel insights into fungal microcolony morphology and association with the tissue. Our results demonstrate that C. albicans microcolonies induce injury to the epithelial tissue by disrupting apical cell-cell contacts and causing inflammation. Caspofungin treatment effectively reduced the fungal biomass and induced substantial alterations in microcolony morphology during infection with a wild-type strain. However, caspofungin showed limited effects after infection with an echinocandin-resistant clinical isolate. Collectively, this organ-on-chip model can be leveraged for in-depth characterization of pathogen-host interactions and alterations due to antimicrobial treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Kaden
- Dynamic42 GmbH, Jena, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry II, Center for Sepsis Control and Care, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Raquel Alonso-Roman
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans-Knöll-Institute, Jena, Germany; Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Parastoo Akbarimoghaddam
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Applied Systems Biology, HKI-Center for Systems Biology of Infection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans-Knöll-Institute, Jena, Germany; Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Alexander S Mosig
- Institute of Biochemistry II, Center for Sepsis Control and Care, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany; Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | | | | | - Bianca Hoffmann
- Applied Systems Biology, HKI-Center for Systems Biology of Infection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans-Knöll-Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Marc T Figge
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Applied Systems Biology, HKI-Center for Systems Biology of Infection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans-Knöll-Institute, Jena, Germany; Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany.
| | - Bernhard Hube
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans-Knöll-Institute, Jena, Germany; Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany.
| | - Mark S Gresnigt
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Junior Research Group Adaptive Pathogenicity Strategies, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans-Knöll-Institute, Jena, Germany.
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Du XY, Yang JY. Biomimetic microfluidic chips for toxicity assessment of environmental pollutants. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 919:170745. [PMID: 38340832 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Various types of pollutants widely present in environmental media, including synthetic and natural chemicals, physical pollutants such as radioactive substances, ultraviolet rays, and noise, as well as biological organisms, pose a huge threat to public health. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately and effectively explore the human physiological responses and toxicity mechanisms of pollutants to prevent diseases caused by pollutants. The emerging toxicological testing method biomimetic microfluidic chips (BMCs) exhibit great potential in environmental pollutant toxicity assessment due to their superior biomimetic properties. The BMCs are divided into cell-on-chips and organ-on-chips based on the distinctions in bionic simulation levels. Herein, we first summarize the characteristics, emergence and development history, composition and structure, and application fields of BMCs. Then, with a focus on the toxicity mechanisms of pollutants, we review the applications and advances of the BMCs in the toxicity assessment of physical, chemical, and biological pollutants, respectively, highlighting its potential and development prospects in environmental toxicology testing. Finally, the opportunities and challenges for further use of BMCs are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Yue Du
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Jin-Yan Yang
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China..
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Alonso-Roman R, Mosig AS, Figge MT, Papenfort K, Eggeling C, Schacher FH, Hube B, Gresnigt MS. Organ-on-chip models for infectious disease research. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:891-904. [PMID: 38528150 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01645-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Research on microbial pathogens has traditionally relied on animal and cell culture models to mimic infection processes in the host. Over recent years, developments in microfluidics and bioengineering have led to organ-on-chip (OoC) technologies. These microfluidic systems create conditions that are more physiologically relevant and can be considered humanized in vitro models. Here we review various OoC models and how they have been applied for infectious disease research. We outline the properties that make them valuable tools in microbiology, such as dynamic microenvironments, vascularization, near-physiological tissue constitutions and partial integration of functional immune cells, as well as their limitations. Finally, we discuss the prospects for OoCs and their potential role in future infectious disease research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Alonso-Roman
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans-Knöll-Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Alexander S Mosig
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry II, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
- Center for Sepsis Control and Care, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich-Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Marc Thilo Figge
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Applied Systems Biology Group, Leibniz-HKI, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Kai Papenfort
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Eggeling
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research e.V., Jena, Germany
- Institute of Applied Optics and Biophysics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Jena Center for Soft Matter, Jena, Germany
| | - Felix H Schacher
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Jena Center for Soft Matter, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Bernhard Hube
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans-Knöll-Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
- Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany.
| | - Mark S Gresnigt
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Junior Research Group Adaptive Pathogenicity Strategies, Leibniz-HKI, Jena, Germany
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Sonnberger J, Kasper L, Lange T, Brunke S, Hube B. "We've got to get out"-Strategies of human pathogenic fungi to escape from phagocytes. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:341-358. [PMID: 37800630 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Human fungal pathogens are a deadly and underappreciated risk to global health that most severely affect immunocompromised individuals. A virulence attribute shared by some of the most clinically relevant fungal species is their ability to survive inside macrophages and escape from these immune cells. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms behind intracellular survival and elaborate how escape is mediated by lytic and non-lytic pathways as well as strategies to induce programmed host cell death. We also discuss persistence as an alternative to rapid host cell exit. In the end, we address the consequences of fungal escape for the host immune response and provide future perspectives for research and development of targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Sonnberger
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Lydia Kasper
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Theresa Lange
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Sascha Brunke
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Bernhard Hube
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
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Ramadan Q, Hazaymeh R, Zourob M. Immunity-on-a-Chip: Integration of Immune Components into the Scheme of Organ-on-a-Chip Systems. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2023; 7:e2200312. [PMID: 36866511 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202200312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Studying the immune system in vitro aims to understand how, when, and where the immune cells migrate/differentiate and respond to the various triggering events and the decision points along the immune response journey. It becomes evident that organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technology has a superior capability to recapitulate the cell-cell and tissue-tissue interaction in the body, with a great potential to provide tools for tracking the paracrine signaling with high spatial-temporal precision and implementing in situ real-time, non-destructive detection assays, therefore, enabling extraction of mechanistic information rather than phenotypic information. However, despite the rapid development in this technology, integration of the immune system into OOC devices stays among the least navigated tasks, with immune cells still the major missing components in the developed models. This is mainly due to the complexity of the immune system and the reductionist methodology of the OOC modules. Dedicated research in this field is demanded to establish the understanding of mechanism-based disease endotypes rather than phenotypes. Herein, we systemically present a synthesis of the state-of-the-art of immune-cantered OOC technology. We comprehensively outlined what is achieved and identified the technology gaps emphasizing the missing components required to establish immune-competent OOCs and bridge these gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qasem Ramadan
- Alfaisal University, Riyadh, 11533, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Rana Hazaymeh
- Almaarefa University, Diriyah, 13713, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Abstracts from The International Society for Aerosols in Medicine. J Aerosol Med Pulm Drug Deliv 2023. [PMID: 37906031 DOI: 10.1089/jamp.2023.ab02.abstracts] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
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Saffer C, Timme S, Rudolph P, Figge MT. Surrogate infection model predicts optimal alveolar macrophage number for clearance of Aspergillus fumigatus infections. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2023; 9:12. [PMID: 37037824 PMCID: PMC10086013 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-023-00272-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune system has to fight off hundreds of microbial invaders every day, such as the human-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. The fungal conidia can reach the lower respiratory tract, swell and form hyphae within six hours causing life-threatening invasive aspergillosis. Invading pathogens are continuously recognized and eliminated by alveolar macrophages (AM). Their number plays an essential role, but remains controversial with measurements varying by a factor greater than ten for the human lung. We here investigate the impact of the AM number on the clearance of A. fumigatus conidia in humans and mice using analytical and numerical modeling approaches. A three-dimensional to-scale hybrid agent-based model (hABM) of the human and murine alveolus allowed us to simulate millions of virtual infection scenarios, and to gain quantitative insights into the infection dynamics for varying AM numbers and infection doses. Since hABM simulations are computationally expensive, we derived and trained an analytical surrogate infection model on the large dataset of numerical simulations. This enables reducing the number of hABM simulations while still providing (i) accurate and immediate predictions on infection progression, (ii) quantitative hypotheses on the infection dynamics under healthy and immunocompromised conditions, and (iii) optimal AM numbers for combating A. fumigatus infections in humans and mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Saffer
- Research Group Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Sandra Timme
- Research Group Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Paul Rudolph
- Research Group Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Marc Thilo Figge
- Research Group Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany.
- Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
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Bai H, Ingber DE. What Can an Organ-on-a-Chip Teach Us About Human Lung Pathophysiology? Physiology (Bethesda) 2022; 37:0. [PMID: 35658627 PMCID: PMC9394778 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00012.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The intertwined relationship between structure and function has been key to understanding human organ physiology and disease pathogenesis. An organ-on-a-chip (organ chip) is a bioengineered microfluidic cell culture device lined by living cells and tissues that recapitulates organ-level functions in vitro. This is accomplished by recreating organ-specific tissue-tissue interfaces and microenvironmental biochemical and mechanical cues while providing dynamic perfusion through endothelium-lined vascular channels. In this review, we discuss how this emerging technology has contributed to the understanding of human lung structure-function relationships at the cell, tissue, and organ levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiqing Bai
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Donald E Ingber
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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