Mapping the interdependency of the gut-lung-axis and hydrogel barrier in health and disease

The gut and lungs are anatomically distinct, yet potential anatomic communications and complex pathways involving their respective microbiota have unveiled the existence of a gut–lung axis (GLA). This inter-tissue crosstalk putatively contributes to healthy and diseased states. In fact, chronic lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often occur together with chronic gastrointestinal tract diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Up to 50% of adults with IBD have pulmonary involvement, such as inflammation or impaired lung function, and patients with COPD are 2-3 times more likely to be diagnosed with IBD. Further, the GLA also modulates the response to acute bacterial and viral lung infections, the latter of which has been recently highlighted through the COVID-19 pandemic.
So far, gut-microbe-derived components and metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids have been identified as putative mediators of the GLA. Yet, mechanism beyond the microbiome are highly likely and many questions remain as to how this crosstalk impacts lung and intestinal hydrogels and, thus potentially contributes to the manifestation of comorbidities.

During the past 18 months of the first funding period, we started to generate a microphysiological system (MPS) of the GLA enabling the co-cultivation of intestinal and pulmonary epithelial tissue. With B04|Siegmund/Weinhart, B03|Haag/Block, A04|Seitz/Block, A03|Netz/Block and Z01|Mertins/Ludwig/Pigaleva, we characterized the mucus produced by the current models of gut and lungs separately as the status quo.