Biomimetic Alveoli System with Vivid Mechanical Response and Cell-Cell Interface.

Alveolar microenvironmental models are important for studying the basic biology of the alveolus, therapeutic trials, and drug testing. However, few systems can fully reproduce the in vivo alveolar microenvironment including dynamic stretching and the cell-cell interface. Here, a novel biomimetic alveolus-on-a-chip microsystem is presented suitable for visualizing physiological breathing for simulating the three-dimensional architecture and function of human pulmonary alveoli. This biomimetic microsystem contains an inverse opal structured polyurethane membrane which achieves real-time observation of mechanical stretching. In this microsystem, the alveolar-capillary barrier (ACB) is created by alveolar type 2 (ATII) cells co-cultured with vascular endothelial cells (ECs) on this membrane. Based on this microsystem, the phenomena of flattening and the tendency of differentiation in ATII cells were observed. The synergistic effects of mechanical stretching and ECs on the proliferation of ATII cells are also observed during the repair process following lung injury. These features indicate the potential of this novel biomimetic microsystem for exploring the mechanisms of lung diseases, which can provide future guidance concerning drug targets for clinical therapies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.