ISSN 1662-4009 (online)

ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology (2023) 20 1.15 | DOI: 10.1530/ey.20.1.15

ESPEYB20 1. Thyroid Endocrine Disruptors (1 abstracts)

1.15. Thyroid-on-a-chip: An organoid platform for in vitro assessment of endocrine disruption

Carvalho DJ , Kip AM , Romitti M , Nazzari M , Tegel A , Stich M , Krause C , Caiment F , Costagliola S , Moroni L & Giselbrecht S


Adv Healthc Mater. 2023 Mar;12(8):e2201555. doi: 10.1002/adhm.202201555. Epub 2023 Jan 10. PMID: 36546709


Brief summary: Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals may have adverse effects on humans. Tissue specific organoids are a helpful model to study organ specific impact of compounds alone or in combination, at different doses and during different stages of tissue development (1). While such organoid models have been developed for different tissues, such models were lacking to study differentiated thyroid follicles and thyroid tissue during development and differentiation.

Carvalho et al. present an elegant new model of mouse embryonic stem cell derived thyroid organoids on a chip device. This microfluidic culture allows different modes of flows (single and dual flow) with the technical possibility of imaging and continuous oxygen measurements. Optimized culture conditions result in a high percentage of T4-expressing follicles. Exposure of thyroid follicles to an endocrine disruptor (benzo(k)fluroanthene) for 24 hours induced a significant change in gene expression of genes involved in thyroid hormone synthesis.

In summary, this elegant standardized first thyroid organoid culture device on a chip provides a robust new model for serial investigation of endocrine disrupting chemicals on the thyroid tissue.

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