Modern experimental systems for studying various functions of the gastrointestinal tract

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63341/bmbr/3.2025.37

Keywords:

intestine, in vitro model, ex vivo mode, enterocytes, intestinal epithelial cell suspension

Abstract

The integrity and functionin g of intestine are crucial for the digestion and absorption of nutrients, immunological homeostasis and the prevention of the ingestion of pathogens. Сurrently, the improvement and development of new experimental systems for studying various functions of the intestine is a pressing task in biology and medicine. The aim of this review was to describe modern experimental systems for studying various functions of the intestine, focusing on their application, advantages and limitations. To achieve this goal, publications from 2019-2025 selected from PubMed and Google Scholar were analysed and summarised. Based on the analysis of literature data and author’s experimental studies, it was established that methods such as “everted intestine” and “Ussing chamber” are effective for studying the mechanisms of kinetics and absorption of drugs in the small and large intestines. The “InTESTine™” system is a tool for assessing intestinal permeability and predicting intestinal absorption of food and drugs. Systems such as “intestinal organoids”, “enteroid systems” and “gut-on-a-chip” used to study dynamic processes, secretion, and absorption in the intestine have been analysed. It has been shown that transformed and cultured “epithelial cell lines” (Caco-2, HT-29 and T84) have certain disadvantages in use and cancerous origin of cells. An “epithelial cell suspension” was investigated, which is a simple and promising ex vivo system for studying the direct and immediate effects of chemicals on the intestinal epithelium. The practical value of the work lies in comparing experimental methods for studying the intestine, which can contribute to the effectiveness of preclinical research, the improvement of medical care diagnostics, and the development of personalised medicine

Received: 25.04.2025 | Revised: 21.07.2025 | Accepted: 02.09.2025

Author Biography

Alina Lytvynenko, O.O. Bogomolets Institute of Physiology of the NAS of Ukraine

PhD in Biological Sciences 01024, 4 Bogomolets Str., Kyiv, Ukraine

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Published

2025-10-08

How to Cite

Lytvynenko, A. (2025). Modern experimental systems for studying various functions of the gastrointestinal tract. Bulletin of Medical and Biological Research, (3), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.63341/bmbr/3.2025.37