The development of drugs targeting the central nervous system (CNS) is challenging because of the presence of the Blood-Brain barrier (BBB). Developing physiologically relevant in vitro BBB models for evaluating drug permeability and predicting the a...
In the preclinical phase of drug development, it is necessary to determine how the active compound can pass through the biological barriers surrounding the target tissue. In vitro barrier models provide a reliable, low-cost, high-throughput solution...
Interstitial flow plays a significant role in vascular system development, mainly including angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. However, compared to angiogenesis, the effect of interstitial flow on vasculogenesis is less explored. Current in vitro model...
Current in vitro methods for intestinal barrier assessment predominantly utilize two-dimensional (2D) membrane inserts in standard culture plates, which are widely recognized for their inability to replicate the microenvironment critical to intestina...
Central nervous system (CNS) disorders represent one of the leading causes of global health burden. Nonetheless, new therapies approved against these disorders are among the lowest compared to their counterparts. The absence of reliable and efficient...
The aim of this study was to further evaluate and optimize the Transwell® system for assessing the dissolution behavior of orally inhaled drug products (OIDPs), using fluticasone propionate as a model drug. Sample preparation involved the collection...
Axitinib is an orally available inhibitor of tyrosine kinases, with high specificity for vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs) 1, 2, and 3. It is approved for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and is in phase II clinical...
Monitoring of ions in real-time directly in cell culture systems and in organ-on-a-chip platforms represents a significant investigation tool to understand ion regulation and distribution in the body and ions’ involvement in biological mechanis...
Chronic wound infections are frequently associated with bacterial biofilms, which significantly reduce the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments. Conventional in vitro evaluation methods, such as disc diffusion assays and static biofilm models, lack p...
As the blood-brain barrier (BBB) prevents most compounds from entering the brain, nanocarrier delivery systems are frequently being explored to potentially enhance the passage of drugs due to their nanometer sizes and functional characteristics. This...
The intestinal epithelium constitutes a selectively permeable barrier between the internal and external environment that allows the absorption of nutrients, electrolytes, and water, as well as an effective defense against intraluminal bacteria, toxin...
Background: Neuropathic pain is a complex condition often resistant to current therapies due to limited efficacy and adverse effects. Nutraceuticals offer promising alternatives, combining antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties with good tolera...
There are two stable isotopes of hydrogen, protium (1H) and deuterium (2H; D). Cellular stress response dysregulation in cancer represents both a major pathological driving force and a promising therapeutic target, but the molecular consequences and...
During the preimplantation period, the nutrition of the embryo is dependent on luminal secretions of the uterus, which can be modified by the health status of the animal. The aim of this study was to mimic the paracrine communication between healthy...
Metabolic reprogramming is a molecular hallmark of cancer. Recently, we have reported the overexpression of glyoxalase 1 (encoded by GLO1), a glutathione-dependent enzyme involved in detoxification of the reactive glycolytic byproduct methylglyoxal,...
Evidence has been recently provided showing that, in baseline conditions, GBM cells feature high levels of α-syn which are way in excess compared with α-syn levels measured within control astrocytes. These findings are consistent along va...
Staphylococcus aureus biofilm-associated infections are a major public health concern. Current therapies are hampered by reduced penetration of antibiotics through biofilm and low accumulation levels at infected sites, requiring prolonged usage. To o...
Background: The blood–brain barrier (BBB) plays a critical role in protecting the central nervous system (CNS) but also limits drug delivery. Insufficient knowledge of how the CNS promotes the onset and maintenance of peripheral neuropathic pai...
The interaction between tumor cells and activated fibroblasts determines malignant features of desmoplastic carcinomas such as rapid growth, progression towards a metastatic phenotype, and resistance to chemotherapy. On one hand, tumor cells can acti...
This paper reports a transwell insert-embedded microfluidic device capable of culturing cells at an air-liquid interface (ALI), mimicking the in vivo alveolar epithelium microenvironment. Integration of a commercially available transwell insert makes...
Cell migration assays provide valuable insights into pathological conditions, such as tumor metastasis and immune cell infiltration, and the regenerative capacity of tissues. In vitro tools commonly used for cell migration studies exploit commercial...
Co-culture studies investigating the role of periprosthetic fibroblasts (PPFs) in inflammatory osteoclastogenesis reveal contrary results, partly showing an osteoprotective function of fibroblasts and high OPG expression in monolayer. These data disa...
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are enzymes involved in periodontal tissue destruction. Hemagglutinin B (HagB) from the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis induces an elevated MMP response in dendritic cells, but responses from cultures of...
Pancreatic cancer is characterized by an immunosuppressive tumor environment in which macrophages are recruited and reprogrammed to support tumor growth. Studying macrophage migration and polarization is crucial for understanding disease progression...
The expression levels of genes involved in drug and nutrient absorption were evaluated in the Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) in vitro drug absorption model. MDCK cells were grown on plastic surfaces (for 3 days) or on Transwell® membranes (for 3, 5...
Tissue-specific microenvironmental factors contribute to the targeting preferences of metastatic cancers. However, the physical attributes of the premetastatic microenvironment are not yet fully characterized. In this research, we develop a transwell...
Translation of novel inhalable therapies for respiratory diseases is hampered due to the lack of in vitro cell models that reflect the complexity of native tissue, resulting in many novel drugs and formulations failing to progress beyond preclinical...
Lung-on-a-chip (LoC) models hold the potential to rapidly change the landscape for pulmonary drug screening and therapy, giving patients more advanced and less invasive treatment options. Understanding the drug absorption in these microphysiological...
Osteogenesis–angiogenesis coupling, a dynamic and coordinated interaction between skeletal and vascular cells, is essential for fracture healing. However, the effects of these cell ratios and their interactions under microfluidic perfusion and...
Cancer metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with the ability of cancer cells to invade blood vessels or lymphatic systems, determining their metastatic potential. Therefore, the rapid and accurate assessment of cell invasiveness...
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main cause of blindness in Western nations. AMD models addressing specific pathological pathways are desired. Through this study, a best-practice protocol for polarized porcine single-eye retinal pigment...
Background/Objectives: The barrier properties of the human small intestine play a crucial role in regulating digestion, nutrient absorption and drug metabolism. Current in vitro organotypic models consist only of an epithelium, which does not take in...
The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a functional interface that provides selective permeability, protection from toxic substances, transport of nutrients, and clearance of brain metabolites. Additionally, BBB disruption has been shown to play a ro...
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) maintains the homeostasis between the central nervous system and the blood circulation [1]. Until now, no standard in vitro model of the BBB is available. In this contribution a novel BBB in vitro model based on primary...
Despite MCT oil’s potential antimicrobial benefits for gastrointestinal health, its effects on disrupting cariogenic pathogens on oral mucosal surfaces remain underexplored. This study evaluated the impact of MCT oil on the adhesion and invasio...
The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is strongly involved in the pathogenesis of several retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). RPE models addressing specific pathological pathways are of high importance for understanding c...
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is limited by insufficient phosphate removal, leading to adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease. To advance the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of peritoneal phosphate transport, RNA...
A hybrid blood–brain barrier (BBB)-on-chip cell culture device is proposed in this study by integrating microcontact printing and perfusion co-culture to facilitate the study of BBB function under high biological fidelity. This is achieved by c...
Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions worldwide and present an urgent challenge due to the aging of the population. Drug delivery to the brain is limited by the blood–brain barrier (BBB), inspiring the development of nanotransporters like...
Background:Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are non-hematopoietic, plastic-adherent, and self-renewing cells capable of in vitro trilineage differentiation into fat, bone, and cartilage tissue. Suggestively, MSCs have additional plasticity, as d...
Late-stage epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) involves the widespread dissemination of malignant disease throughout the peritoneal cavity, often accompanied by ascites. EOC metastasis relies on the formation of multicellular aggregates, called spheroids...
Skin wound healing is a multiphase physiological process that involves the activation of numerous types of cells and is characterized by four phases, namely haemostasis, inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling. However, on some occasions this hea...
We previously reported that claudin-5, a tight junctional protein, mediates lung vascular permeability in a murine model of acute lung injury (ALI) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Recently, it has been reported that haloperidol, an antipsychotic...
An in vitro human renal proximal tubule model that represents the proper transporter expression and pronounced epithelial polarization is necessary for the accurate prediction of nephrotoxicity. Here, we constructed a high-throughput human renal prox...
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and its incidence is steadily increasing. Although years of research have been conducted on cancer treatment, clinical treatment options for cancers are still limited. Animal cancer models have...
Thyroid cancer (TC) is the prevalent endocrine tumor with a rising incidence, particularly in higher-income countries, leading to an increased interest in its management and treatment. While overall, survival rates for TC are usually favorable, advan...
With the rise in global plastic production and the presence of plastic waste in the environment, microplastics are considered an emerging environmental contaminant. Human exposure and the impact of microplastics on human health are not well studied....
Background/Objectives: Excessive inflammation is a critical contributor to impaired oral mucosal wound healing, yet effective therapeutic strategies are still lacking. Although dehydrocorydaline (DHC) has been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory an...
The breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) is an important efflux transporter in the blood-brain barrier (BBB), protecting the brain from a wide range of substances. In this study, we investigated if BCRP function is affected by bisphenol A (BPA), a...
(1) Background: To examine miR-429-meditated DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box polypeptide 53 (DDX53) function in endometrial cancer (EC). (2) Methods: DDX53 and miR-429 levels were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western...
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