体外仿生消化系统的研究进展——从静态到动态

Advance in biomimetic in vitro digestion systems——from static to dynamic

体外仿生模拟消化系统是对人或动物的消化道及其消化环境、消化道内的流体动态行为等进行模拟的装置。在功能性食品功效性评估、药物缓释、婴幼儿奶粉配方优化、肠道益生菌的存活率等科学研究中,它具有连续取样和监测、成本低、效率高、重复性好且无体内试验涉及到的伦理限制等优点,但现有的体外仿生消化系统尚不能实现对于体内消化过程的高度还原,距离食品消化研究的需求仍有一定差距。基于现有研究基础,本文简要阐述了食物在胃肠道内的消化过程,综述了文献报道的主要静态和动态体外消化系统的结构、优缺点和应用,重点介绍了作者研究团队主导开发的动态鼠胃和人胃消化系统的最新研究成果和进展,指出了现有体外仿生消化系统的不足和面临的挑战,并提出消化道的形态和解剖学特征、先进的实时监测技术和生物学因素在体外仿生消化系统开发中的重要性,以期构建出能高度还原体内消化过程的仿生消化系统。

In vitro biomimetic digestion system is a device designed to mimic the gastrointestinal tract(GIT)of a human or animal and its digestive environment,fluid dynamic behavior in the digestive tract and etc.Compared to in vivo trials performed on either humans or animals,it enables continuous sampling and monitoring during simulated digestion with higher efficiency,lower cost,better repeatability and no ethical restriction involved in vivo.To date,a wide variety of in vitro digestion models has been designed and developed from static mono-compartmental(simulate one compartment of the gastrointestinal tract)to dynamic multi-compartmental(several compartments)systems.These in vitro systems have been employed to study the digestion process for an in-depth understanding of digestive mechanisms,digestion and absorption of food nutrients,drug delivery and localized release of active ingredients,survival rate of intestinal probiotics,metabolism of toxic substances in the gastrointestinal tract and optimization of infant formula.However,none of the current in vitro digestion systems can successfully reproduce the whole digestion process in vivo due to the inherent complexity of the GIT,and most of them ignored the significant role of GIT morphology and anatomical features in digestion.This paper firstly presents a brief description of food digestion process in the GIT,followed by critically reviewing the structure,advantages,limitations and applications of the representative static and dynamic in vitro digestion models reported in literature,with a highlight on the latest research and progress of the homemade dynamic in vitro rat and human stomach systems in our group.Finally,the shortcomings and challenges of the existing in vitro systems,as well as the significances of GIT morphology and anatomy,advanced real-time monitoring technology and biological factors for developing more advanced and biologically relevant in vitro digestion system are prospected.This review is helpful to design next generations of functional foods with desired health benefits.