肺类器官--研究人类肺部发育和疾病的新途径

Lung organoids:A new way to study human lung development and diseases

肺系统由气道和肺泡腔两部分组成,其组织和细胞的复杂性保证了肺部的免疫防御和气体交换功能。虽然传统体外细胞实验和动物模型已被广泛用于阐明人体肺发育、生理学和发病机制,但这些模型不能准确地再现人体肺部环境和细胞之间的相互作用。研究发现肺类器官是目前最接近人类肺系统的模型,而以肺类器官为代表的体外肺模型也成为研究肺发育、功能和疾病病理学的一种更容易获得的工具。本文主要介绍肺类器官的主要类别及研究现状、肺类器官的培养过程、肺类器官技术的独特应用、肺类器官培养的主要局限。

The pulmonary system is mainly comprised of the airways and the alveolar space.The complexity of its tissues and cells ensures the immune defense and gas exchange functions.Traditional in vitro cell experiments and animal models have been widely employed to elucidate the human lung development,physiology and pathogenesis.However,these models can not accurately recapitulate the human lung environment and the cell-to-cell crosstalk.Currently,lung organoids are the closest model to human lung system,and the in vitro lung model represented by lung organoids has become an accessible tool for investigating lung development,function and disease pathology.In this review,we introduce the main categories and research status of lung organoids,then further focus on the cultivation process and the unique application of lung organoids.Finally,we discuss the main limitations of culturing lung organoids.