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Review
. 2022 Mar 11:10:854740.
doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.854740. eCollection 2022.

Human Intestinal Organoids: Promise and Challenge

Jasin Taelman  1   2 , Mònica Diaz  1   2 , Jordi Guiu  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Human Intestinal Organoids: Promise and Challenge

Jasin Taelman et al. Front Cell Dev Biol. .

Abstract

The study of human intestinal biology in healthy and diseased conditions has always been challenging. Primary obstacles have included limited tissue accessibility, inadequate in vitro maintenance and ethical constrains. The development of three-dimensional organoid cultures has transformed this entirely. Intestinal organoids are self-organized three-dimensional structures that partially recapitulate the identity, cell heterogeneity and cell behaviour of the original tissue in vitro. This includes the capacity of stem cells to self-renew, as well as to differentiate towards major intestinal lineages. Therefore, over the past decade, the use of human organoid cultures has been instrumental to model human intestinal development, homeostasis, disease, and regeneration. Intestinal organoids can be derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSC) or from adult somatic intestinal stem cells (ISC). Both types of organoid sources harbour their respective strengths and weaknesses. In this mini review, we describe the applications of human intestinal organoids, discussing the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of PSC-derived and ISC-derived organoids.

Keywords: 3D models; enteroids; human intestinal organoids; intestine; organoids.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Cellular composition of intestinal tissue and organoids. (A) Different cell types that make up the crypt-villi structure in vivo small intestinal tissue. (B) Comparative overview of the cellular composition of pluripotent stem cell-derived human intestinal organoids or hIOs and tissue-derived organoids or enteroids. TAZ, Transit Amplifying Zone. Created with BioRender.com.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Strengths and weaknesses of hIOs, enteroids and mouse models. Summary of advantages and disadvantages of PSC-derived organoids or hIOs, tissue-derived organoids or enteroids and the mouse model. Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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