In vitro models of the human intestinal epithelium derived from primary stem cells are much needed for the study of intestinal immunology in health and disease. Here, we describe an intestinal monolayer cultured on a porous membrane with accessible basal and apical surfaces for assay of intestinal cytokine production in response to stimuli. The system was composed of a differentiated, confluent epithelial monolayer derived from human primary stem cells obtained from small or large intestine. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) were the most abundant inflammatory cytokines produced by the intestinal epithelium. The epithelium from all five tested regions of the intestine preferentially secreted into the apical reservoir of the monolayer, with a 26-fold greater concentration of IL-8 present in the apical reservoir of the colonic monolayer relative to that in the basal reservoir. Upon application of tumor-necrosis factor α (TNF-α) to the basal surface of the colonic monolayer, the IL-8 concentration significantly increased in the basal, but not the apical, reservoir. A dose-dependent elevation of IL-8 in the basal reservoir was observed for TNF-α-stimulation of the monolayer but not for an organoid-based platform. To demonstrate the utility of the monolayer system, 88 types of dietary metabolites or compounds were screened for their ability to modulate IL-8 production in the basal reservoir of the intestinal monolayer in the absence or presence of TNF-α. No dietary metabolite or compound caused an increase in IL-8 in the basal reservoir in the absence of TNF-α. After addition of TNF-α to the monolayer, two compounds (butyrate and gallic acid) suppressed IL-8 production, suggesting their potential anti-inflammatory effects, whereas the dietary factor forskolin significantly increased IL-8 production. These results demonstrate that the described human-intestinal-monolayer platform has the potential for assays and screening of metabolites and compounds that alter the inflammatory response of the intestine.

A simple, in vitro intestinal model recapitulating key aspects of crypt architecture and physiology would facilitate our understanding the impact of drugs, foods and microbial metabolites on the intestine. To address the limitations of previously reported intestinal in vitro platforms, we developed a planar crypt array that replicated the spatial segregation and physiologic responses of primary mouse intestinal epithelial cells in the large intestine. Collagen was coated across an impermeable film possessing an array of microholes creating two regions of distinct stiffness and porosity (above and outside the microholes). Primary mouse colon epithelial cells formed a continuous monolayer across the array with a proliferative cell zone above the microholes and a nonproliferative or differentiated cell region distant from the microholes. Formation of a chemical gradient of growth factors across the array yielded a more complete or in vivo-like cell segregation of proliferative and differentiated cells with cell migration outward from the proliferative cell zone into the differentiated zone to replace apoptotic dying cells much as occurs in vivo. Short chain fatty acids (microbial metabolites) applied to the luminal surface of the crypt array significantly impacted the proliferation and differentiation of the cells replicating the known in vivo effects of these fatty acids. Importantly this planar crypt array was readily fabricated and maintained, easily imaged with properties quantified by microscopy, and compatible with reagent addition to either the luminal or basal fluid reservoirs. The ability to observe simultaneously stem/proliferative and differentiated cell behavior and movement between these two compartments in response to drugs, toxins, inflammatory mediators or microbial metabolites will be of widespread utility.