A microfluidic device with 3-d hydrogel villi scaffold to simulate intestinal absorption.
The absorption of drugs via oral route is a subject of a great interest in drug development process. The current in vitro method for measuring the kinetics of drug absorption relies on 2-D monolayer culture of Caco-2 cells on a porous membrane, but physiologically unrealistic environment provided by this method often results in inaccurate drug absorption kinetics. Here we report a novel microfluidic system which better mimics the physiological environment of the human small intestine. Three dimensional geometries of villi of the small intestine were reproduced via novel hydrogel microfabrication technique, and the fluid flow in the apical and basolateral sides of intestinal tract was reproduced with a two-layer microfluidic device. A wide range of flow rates was achieved by using gravity-induced flow, potentially facilitating easier high-throughput implementation. The kinetics of diffusion process through the 3-D villi scaffold in the microfluidic device was measured and mathematically modeled. When combined with intestinal cell culture model, this novel 3-D microfluidic system can serve as an in vitro platform that better mimics the in vivo environment.
Hongik University, Chemical Engineering, Seoul, 121-791, Korea.
Si Hyeon
SH
Kim
Jung Woo
JW
Lee
Inwook
I
Choi
Young-Chan
YC
Kim
Jong Bum
JB
Lee
Jong Hwan
JH
Sung
D001681:Biological Assay / Q000295:instrumentation; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D004058:Diffusion; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D017022:Flow Injection Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000502:physiology*; D008422:Materials Testing; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
D020100:Hydrogels