ECIS-based biosensors for real-time monitor and classification of the intestinal epithelial barrier damages

Abstract

• Gut epithelial barrier was mimicked and real-time monitored in ECIS-based IECs. • Gut barrier damages by adverse factors can be classified via analysis of ECIS data. • ECIS-based biosensor verified theanine a nutrient alleviates DON-induced damage. Mycotoxin and pathogens-induced intestinal barrier damages are the pathogenesis for inflammatory bowel diseases. Here, we established electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) based biosensors to real-time monitor the intestinal barrier, and classify the barrier damage patterns induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) or deoxynivalenol (DON). The developed ECIS-based biosensors monitored a time-dependent decrease of impedance induced by DSS or DON, during which the Rb (resistance between cells), α (resistance between cell and extracellular matrix), and Cm (cell membrane capacitance) were decreased, indicating the disruption of the intestinal barrier. Noteworthy, the cell micromotion in ECIS can be quantified to the Cellular-Energy, Detail-VAR, Detail-SD, Detail-SMA, and Cellular-Power, by which the DSS and DON induced barrier damage patterns can be classified. Besides, results based on ECIS and traditional assays both verified l -theanine as a nutrient that alleviates the DON-induced intestinal barrier damage. In conclusion, the ECIS-based biosensor was demonstrated as a multiparametric tool to characterize the barrier function, shedding light on exploiting real-time platforms for intestinal barrier-targeted drug screening.