An in vitro technology platform to assess host-microbiota interactions in the gastrointestinal tract

The specific bacteria-host interaction occurring at the gut wall level implies the capacity of the bacteria to adhere to the mucosal layer and the subsequent modulation of the gut-wall functioning. The modulation of this process due to prebiotic and probiotic administration may be one of the determining factors leading to health effects. Despite the importance of such interactions, investigating them remains highly difficult due to limited accessibility of the site of action. Here, we propose a new in vitro technology platform as an innovative solution to study the mechanism of action of specific products on host-microbiota interactions in the gastrointestinal tract: a combination of the Mucosal-Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (M-SHIME (R)) with co-cultures of enterocytes and macrophages or with the recently-developed Host-Microbiota Interaction (HMITM) module