Recent Advances in Cell-Based In Vitro Models to Recreate Human Intestinal Inflammation

Inflammatory bowel disease causes a major burden to patients and healthcare systems, raising the need to develop effective therapies. Technological advances in cell culture, allied with ethical issues, have propelled in vitro models as essential tools to study disease aetiology, its progression, and possible therapies. Several cell-based in vitro models of intestinal inflammation have been used, varying in their complexity and methodology to induce inflammation. Immortalized cell lines are extensively used due to their long-term survival, in contrast to primary cultures that are short-lived but patient-specific. Recently, organoids and organ-chips have demonstrated great potential by being physiologically more relevant. This review aims to shed light on the intricate nature of intestinal inflammation and cover recent works that report cell-based in vitro models of human intestinal inflammation, encompassing diverse approaches and outcomes. The ever-growing plethora of cell-based models that recapitulate intestinal inflammation has experienced significant improvements in physiological relevance with accompanying complexity. While all models are by definition wrong it becomes crucial to choose wisely the model that better fits the biological question at hand. This review summarizes the latest updates in the field aiming to aid the reader in this quest.image

Automated summary

Inflammatory bowel disease is a significant burden and effective therapies are needed. Cell-based in vitro models, such as immortalized cell lines and organoids, have been used to study intestinal inflammation. These models have shown improved physiological relevance but vary in complexity and inflammation induction methods. This review summarizes recent works on human intestinal inflammation models, aiming to assist in choosing the most suitable model for specific biological questions.