The intestine is a highly heterogeneous hollow organ with biological, mechanical and chemical differences between lumen and wall. A functional human intestine model able to recreate the in vivo dynamic nature as well as the native tissue morphology is demanded for disease research and ​drug discovery. Here, we present a system, which combines an engineered three-dimensional (3D) tubular-shaped intestine model (3D In-tube) with a custom-made microbioreactor to impart the key aspects of the in vivo microenvironment of the human intestine, mimicking the rhythmic peristaltic movement. We adapted a previously established bottom-up tissue engineering approach, to produce the 3D tubular-shaped lamina propria and designed a glass microbioreactor to induce the air–liquid interface ​condition and peristaltic-like motion. Our results demonstrate the production of a villi-like protrusion and a correct spatial differentiation of the intestinal epithelial cells in enterocyte-like as well as mucus-producing-like cells on the lumen side of the 3D In-tube. This dynamic platform offers a proof-of-concept model of the human intestine.

肠是高度异质的中空器官，在管腔和壁之间具有生物学，机械和化学差异。疾病研究和药物发现需要能够重现体内动态性质以及天然组织形态的功能性人体肠道模型。在这里，我们介绍了一个系统，该系统将工程化的三维（3D）管状肠模型（3D试管）与定制的微生物反应器相结合，以赋予体内关键的方面人体小肠的微环境，模仿有节奏的蠕动运动。我们采用了先前建立的自下而上的组织工程方法，以生产3D管状固有层，并设计了一个玻璃微生物反应器来诱发气液界面条件和蠕动运动。我们的结果证明了绒毛状突起的产生和肠上皮细胞以及3D管内腔侧粘液产生样细胞中肠上皮细胞的正确空间分化。这个动态平台提供了人类肠道的概念验证模型。