iPSCs-derived Bronchial Airways-On-Chip for Assessment of Cytokine Secretion triggered by Volatile Organic Compounds

Air quality monitoring currently relies mostly on a combination of epidemiological data and classic experimental data. Our objective was to design an alternative approach for assessing air pollutant risk potential using a specialized platform capable of detecting long-term and indirect effects of exposure via the inhaled route. We used a Bronchial Airways-On-Chip (BOC) offering some of the physiological complexity of the human lung based on our previously developed device coupled with in-vitro differentiated bronchial epithelium derived from induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs). This setup is capable of replicating bronchial epithelia exposure to irritants at air-liquid interface, in controlled and reproducible conditions. It comprises the first proof-of-concept design combining a BOC with iPSCs-derived bronchial epithelium as an alternative approach towards potential risk assessmnet of inhaled pollutants. As a representative pollutant we use Benzene, a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC). At low concentrations and short-term exposure it is not considered acutely harmful, but long-term exposure can result in mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. As air pollutant toxicity is known to be mediated by the respiratory epithelial lining and secretion of cytokines, we demonstrate our system to be sufficiently sensitive to capture increased cytokine secretion corresponding to increasing concentrations of Benzene. Of utmost relevance is our finding that an accumulative effect could be detected, only caused by prolonged exposure at low concentrations of Benzene, previously shown to be non-toxic in classic short-term in-vitro studies. Finally, the accumulative effect could be reversed using a commonly-used asthma medication (Montelukast), further supporting the relevance of the setup.