Conformable Device for Independent Measurements of Mucosal and Vascular Barriers in a Complex In Vitro Intestinal Model

Electrochemical approaches for monitoring cell barrier integrity have become important read-out tools for in vitro models. Conventional commercially available electrochemical devices are however poorly suited for monitoring the more complex and multi-dimensional models which have recently been developed thanks to advances in tissue engineering. In particular, commercially available devices are typically unable to provide barrier-by-barrier resolution in multi-barrier models. In this study, a gut-immune-vasculature model is presented and utilized to investigate the potential for a novel conformable device to independently monitor two cell barriers within the same model-device platform. The platform, supported by cytokine analysis, is first used to study known bacterial metabolites and dietary compounds, showing changes in epithelial and/or endothelial barrier resistance. The platform is also used to test complex mixtures of bacterial metabolites produced by four intestinal bacteria individually as well as by a community of 25 diverse gut bacteria. The study demonstrates the potential for employing tailored in vitro intestinal models coupled with novel electrochemical device monitoring for host-microbe interactions studies.