An In vitro Caco2-Based Model for Measuring Intestinal Bioadhesion Comparable to Ex vivo Models.

ABSTRACT: This study presents an in vitro model using Caco-2 cells that can mimic the bioadhesion properties of the human intestinal epithelium, aiming to reduce the use of animal tissues, in line with the 3Rs principle-replacement, reduction, and refinement. Specifically, a texture analyzer was used to assess the bioadhesive strength of hydrogels (i.e., alginate (Alg), chitosan (Chit), and gelatin (Gel)) under various applied forces (20-200 mN) and contact times (120-420 s). The results demonstrate that the in vitro model effectively predicts the bioadhesive strength of the tested hydrogels to ex vivo tissues (i.e., from mice, sheep, and pigs), including the effects of applied force and contact time. Also provided is an analysis of the effect of microvilli morphology on bioadhesion where an inverse

SUBMITTER: Drori E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11934890 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature