An alternative to animal experiments
New applications for organoids from human intestinal tissue

Date:
October 14, 2020
Source:
Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Summary:
Researchers have cultured so-called intestinal organoids from human
intestinal tissue, which is a common byproduct when performing
bowel surgery. These small 'miniature intestines' can be used
for molecular biological examinations and allow for a direct
application of research results to humans, thereby making animal
experiments redundant.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The human intestine is vital for both digestion and absorbing nutrients
as well as drugs. For any type of research that involves intestines,
scientists require research models that reflect the physiological
situation inside human beings with the highest possible accuracy.


========================================================================== Standard cell lines and animal experiments have certain disadvantages. One
main issue is the lack of applicability of the results to humans. Now,
a multidisciplinary research team covering the areas of nutritional
science, general medicine, and chemistry has demonstrated how a modern
in vitro model - - made from human intestinal biopsies -- can answer
various questions regarding the molecular processes inside the human gut.

Measuring nutrient and drug transport in the intestines A few years ago, researchers Eva Rath and Tamara Zietek have already demonstrated some
areas of application of intestinal organoids. These are microstructures
similar to the gut, which possess utility for the scientific field
examining the gastro-intestinal system.

For instance, these miniature intestines can serve as models for
investigating hormone release and transport mechanisms of food or
medication inside the digestive tract. Previously, these microstructures
with their similarity to intestines were grown from mouse tissue. Now
the team has found a way to apply this method to miniature intestines
grown from human tissue, thereby expanding the methodological spectrum.

Organoids consist of so-called epithelial cells -- a cell layer serving
as barrier between the content of the bowels including the enteric flora, scientifically known as "microbiota," and the inside of the body. These
cells are not only responsible for absorbing nutrients and drugs; their metabolism has an effect on various functions in all parts of the body.

"Many molecular aspects of nutrient absorption in the intestines are
still unknown. We do know, however, that some nutrient transporters also
play a role in drug absorption," explained Eva Rath, scientist at the
Chair of Nutrition and Immunology at TUM.

In their latest publication, the researchers illustrate how the transport
of nutrients and drugs and the subsequent metabolic changes can be
measured in organoids. "This paves the way for this model to be used
in medical and pharmaceutical applications such as drug screening,"
Rath added.

A better alternative to animal experiments "When studying diseases or performing drug screenings, it is critical to have access to a human
test system such as human organoids in order to prevent obtaining species specific test results," said Tamara Zietek, who is part of the Chair of Nutritional Physiology at TUM.

She added that, "over the course of the last few years, organoids have
become one of the most promising in vitro models due to their high physiological relevance; they also present a human-based alternative
method to animal experiments." The processes established by the research
team are of particular importance for both fundamental research and drug development, but also regarding regulation in terms of safety testing
for chemicals and other agents.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Technical_University_of_Munich_(TUM). Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Tamara Zietek, Pieter Giesbertz, Maren Ewers, Florian Reichart,
Michael
Weinmu"ller, Elisabeth Urbauer, Dirk Haller, Ihsan Ekin Demir,
Gu"ralp O.

Ceyhan, Horst Kessler, Eva Rath. Organoids to Study Intestinal
Nutrient Transport, Drug Uptake and Metabolism - Update to the Human
Model and Expansion of Applications. Frontiers in Bioengineering
and Biotechnology, 2020; 8 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.577656 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201014140956.htm

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