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A Microfluidic‐Based Model for Spatially Constrained Culture of Intestinal Microbiota
Author(s) -
Pajoumshariati Seyed Ramin,
Azizi Morteza,
Zhang Shiying,
Dogan Belgin,
Simpson Kenneth W.,
Abbaspourrad Alireza
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201805568
Subject(s) - microfluidics , bacteria , microbiome , microfiber , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , inflammatory bowel disease , in vitro , nanotechnology , materials science , disease , biochemistry , bioinformatics , genetics , medicine , pathology , composite material
Perturbation of the microbiome is implicated in the pathogenesis of many human ailments, including inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease (CD). Recapitulating the microbiome associated with health and disease necessitates controlling the composition of multiple bacterial species. This is difficult to achieve in vitro due to the overgrowth of bacterial species over time. Here, a microfluidic‐based model incorporating bacteria‐embedded hydrogel microfibers for the coculture of human enteric bacteria is introduced. Employing bacterial species and strains associated with CD, it is shown that the hydrogel‐based bacteria‐embedded microfiber model is physically and mechanically robust, and tunable. Metabolite analysis of the medium in both mono‐ and coculture revealed the interfiber exchange of soluble mediators and their impact on the growth of different bacterial species. This novel approach should enhance the ability to decipher contact‐independent cross‐talk within the polymicrobial intestinal luminal environment, and its impact on the intestinal epithelium.