Kim Jaehyeon, Ślęczkowska Milena, Nobre Beatriz, Wieringa Paul
Complex Tissue Regeneration, MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Microorganisms. 2025 Feb 28;13(3):553. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13030553.
(Ct) is a leading cause of sexually transmitted infections globally, often resulting in inflammatory disorders, ectopic pregnancies, and infertility. Studying Ct's pathogenesis remains challenging due to its unique life cycle and host-specific interactions, which require diverse experimental models. Animal studies using mouse, guinea pig, pig, and non-human primate models provide valuable insights into immune responses, hormonal influences, and disease progression. However, they face limitations in terms of translational relevance due to physiological differences, as well as ethical concerns. Complementing these, in vitro systems, ranging from simple monolayer to advanced three-dimensional models, exhibit improved physiological relevance by replicating the human tissue architecture. This includes the detailed investigation of epithelial barrier disruptions, epithelium-stroma interactions, and immune responses at a cellular level. Nonetheless, in vitro models fall short in mimicking the intricate tissue structures found in vivo and, therefore, cannot faithfully replicate the host-pathogen interactions or infection dynamics observed in living organisms. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the in vivo and in vitro models employed over the past few decades to investigate Ct and its pathogenesis, addressing their strengths and limitations. Furthermore, we explore emerging technologies, including organ-on-chip and in silico models, as promising tools to overcome the existing challenges and refine our understanding of Ct infections.
沙眼衣原体（Ct）是全球性传播感染的主要病因，常导致炎症性疾病、异位妊娠和不孕不育。由于其独特的生命周期和宿主特异性相互作用，研究Ct的发病机制仍然具有挑战性，这需要多种实验模型。使用小鼠、豚鼠、猪和非人类灵长类动物模型的动物研究为免疫反应、激素影响和疾病进展提供了有价值的见解。然而，由于生理差异以及伦理问题，它们在转化相关性方面存在局限性。作为补充，从简单的单层到先进的三维模型的体外系统通过复制人体组织结构展现出更高的生理相关性。这包括在细胞水平上对上皮屏障破坏、上皮-基质相互作用和免疫反应的详细研究。尽管如此，体外模型在模拟体内复杂组织结构方面存在不足，因此无法如实地复制在生物体中观察到的宿主-病原体相互作用或感染动态。本综述全面概述了过去几十年用于研究Ct及其发病机制的体内和体外模型，阐述了它们的优势和局限性。此外，我们探索新兴技术，包括芯片器官和计算机模拟模型，作为克服现有挑战并深化我们对Ct感染理解的有前景的工具。
