Intestinal Villus-on-Chip with Dynamic Magnetic Actuation for Identifying EGR1 as IBD Therapeutic Target

Here, a magnetic intestinal villus chip (IVC) was constructed using a dual-channel microfluidic structure and embedded with biomimetic intestinal villi (BioVilli) membranes. The magnetically driven BioVilli replicated physiological villus oscillation (8 - 10°, 0.15 Hz), while controllable fluid perfusion applied physiological fluid shear stress at the intestinal vascular interface.

This platform uniquely integrated structural fidelity, rhythmic mechanical actuation, and multicellular interactions into a single system. We found that through the IVC system, mechanical signals mediated by FOXO1 could enhance barrier integrity, absorption function, and epithelial cell proliferation. Under inflammatory stimulation, by replicating pathological villus oscillation (>12°, 0.15 Hz), the IVC system realistically reproduced the characteristics of IBD, revealing that the imbalance of EGR1 caused by inflammatory stress is a key factor in the pathogenesis of IBD.