The Gut-Organ-Axis Concept: Advances the Application of Gut-on-Chip Technology

The intestine is considered to be a vital digestive organ to absorb nutrients and is the largest immune organ, while numerous microorganisms coexist with the host. It is well known that the complex interactions between the gut microbiota and the host's immune system inevitably affect the function of other organs, creating an axis between them. During the past few years, a new technique based mainly on microfluidics and cell biology has been developed to emulate the structure, function, and microenvironment of the human gut, called the gut-on-chip. This microfluidic chip provides insight into key aspects of gut function in health and disease, such as the gut-brain axis, gut-liver axis, gut-kidney axis, and gut-lung axis. In this review, we first describe the basic theory of the gut axis and the various composition and parameter monitoring of the gut microarray systems, as well as summarize the development and emerging advances in the gut-organ-on-chip, with a focus on the host-gut flora and nutrient metabolism, and highlight their role in pathophysiological studies. In addition, this paper discusses the challenges and prospects for the current development and further use of the gut-organ-on-chip platform.

Automated summary

The gut is a vital digestive and immune organ where microorganisms coexist with the host. The gut microbiota interacts with the host's immune system, affecting the function of other organs. The gut-on-chip technology has been developed to emulate the structure and function of the human gut, providing insights into gut-related interactions and pathophysiological studies.