1
|
Cameron O, Neves JF, Gentleman E. Listen to Your Gut: Key Concepts for Bioengineering Advanced Models of the Intestine. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2302165. [PMID: 38009508 PMCID: PMC10837392 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202302165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
The intestine performs functions central to human health by breaking down food and absorbing nutrients while maintaining a selective barrier against the intestinal microbiome. Key to this barrier function are the combined efforts of lumen-lining specialized intestinal epithelial cells, and the supportive underlying immune cell-rich stromal tissue. The discovery that the intestinal epithelium can be reproduced in vitro as intestinal organoids introduced a new way to understand intestinal development, homeostasis, and disease. However, organoids reflect the intestinal epithelium in isolation whereas the underlying tissue also contains myriad cell types and impressive chemical and structural complexity. This review dissects the cellular and matrix components of the intestine and discusses strategies to replicate them in vitro using principles drawing from bottom-up biological self-organization and top-down bioengineering. It also covers the cellular, biochemical and biophysical features of the intestinal microenvironment and how these can be replicated in vitro by combining strategies from organoid biology with materials science. Particularly accessible chemistries that mimic the native extracellular matrix are discussed, and bioengineering approaches that aim to overcome limitations in modelling the intestine are critically evaluated. Finally, the review considers how further advances may extend the applications of intestinal models and their suitability for clinical therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Cameron
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative BiologyKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9RTUK
| | - Joana F. Neves
- Centre for Host‐Microbiome InteractionsKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9RTUK
| | - Eileen Gentleman
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative BiologyKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9RTUK
- Department of Biomedical SciencesUniversity of LausanneLausanne1005Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Durcan C, Hossain M, Chagnon G, Perić D, Girard E. Mechanical experimentation of the gastrointestinal tract: a systematic review. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2024; 23:23-59. [PMID: 37935880 PMCID: PMC10901955 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-023-01773-8] [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: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
The gastrointestinal (GI) organs of the human body are responsible for transporting and extracting nutrients from food and drink, as well as excreting solid waste. Biomechanical experimentation of the GI organs provides insight into the mechanisms involved in their normal physiological functions, as well as understanding of how diseases can cause disruption to these. Additionally, experimental findings form the basis of all finite element (FE) modelling of these organs, which have a wide array of applications within medicine and engineering. This systematic review summarises the experimental studies that are currently in the literature (n = 247) and outlines the areas in which experimentation is lacking, highlighting what is still required in order to more fully understand the mechanical behaviour of the GI organs. These include (i) more human data, allowing for more accurate modelling for applications within medicine, (ii) an increase in time-dependent studies, and (iii) more sophisticated in vivo testing methods which allow for both the layer- and direction-dependent characterisation of the GI organs. The findings of this review can also be used to identify experimental data for the readers' own constitutive or FE modelling as the experimental studies have been grouped in terms of organ (oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or rectum), test condition (ex vivo or in vivo), number of directions studied (isotropic or anisotropic), species family (human, porcine, feline etc.), tissue condition (intact wall or layer-dependent) and the type of test performed (biaxial tension, inflation-extension, distension (pressure-diameter), etc.). Furthermore, the studies that investigated the time-dependent (viscoelastic) behaviour of the tissues have been presented.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ciara Durcan
- Zienkiewicz Centre for Modelling, Data and AI, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, SA1 8EN, UK
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMC, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Mokarram Hossain
- Zienkiewicz Centre for Modelling, Data and AI, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, SA1 8EN, UK.
| | - Grégory Chagnon
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMC, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Djordje Perić
- Zienkiewicz Centre for Modelling, Data and AI, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, SA1 8EN, UK
| | - Edouard Girard
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMC, 38000, Grenoble, France
- Laboratoire d'Anatomie des Alpes Françaises, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mercado-Perez A, Beyder A. Gut feelings: mechanosensing in the gastrointestinal tract. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 19:283-296. [PMID: 35022607 PMCID: PMC9059832 DOI: 10.1038/s41575-021-00561-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The primary function of the gut is to procure nutrients. Synchronized mechanical activities underlie nearly all its endeavours. Coordination of mechanical activities depends on sensing of the mechanical forces, in a process called mechanosensation. The gut has a range of mechanosensory cells. They function either as specialized mechanoreceptors, which convert mechanical stimuli into coordinated physiological responses at the organ level, or as non-specialized mechanosensory cells that adjust their function based on the mechanical state of their environment. All major cell types in the gastrointestinal tract contain subpopulations that act as specialized mechanoreceptors: epithelia, smooth muscle, neurons, immune cells, and others. These cells are tuned to the physical properties of the surrounding tissue, so they can discriminate mechanical stimuli from the baseline mechanical state. The importance of gastrointestinal mechanosensation has long been recognized, but the latest discoveries of molecular identities of mechanosensors and technical advances that resolve the relevant circuitry have poised the field to make important intellectual leaps. This Review describes the mechanical factors relevant for normal function, as well as the molecules, cells and circuits involved in gastrointestinal mechanosensing. It concludes by outlining important unanswered questions in gastrointestinal mechanosensing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arnaldo Mercado-Perez
- Enteric NeuroScience Program (ENSP), Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Arthur Beyder
- Enteric NeuroScience Program (ENSP), Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Department of Physiology & Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Sokolis DP. Experimental study and biomechanical characterization for the passive small intestine: Identification of regional differences. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2017; 74:93-105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2017.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Revised: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
|
5
|
Sokolis DP, Sassani SG. Microstructure-based constitutive modeling for the large intestine validated by histological observations. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2013; 21:149-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2013.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2012] [Revised: 02/12/2013] [Accepted: 02/20/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
6
|
Sokolis DP, Orfanidis IK, Peroulis M. Biomechanical testing and material characterization for the rat large intestine: regional dependence of material parameters. Physiol Meas 2011; 32:1969-82. [DOI: 10.1088/0967-3334/32/12/007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
|
7
|
Bellini C, Glass P, Sitti M, Di Martino ES. Biaxial mechanical modeling of the small intestine. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2011; 4:1727-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2011.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2011] [Revised: 05/03/2011] [Accepted: 05/23/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
|
8
|
Biomechanical and histological characteristics of passive esophagus: Experimental investigation and comparative constitutive modeling. J Biomech 2009; 42:2654-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2009] [Revised: 07/20/2009] [Accepted: 08/19/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|