“Information on the diverse and dynamic composition of small molecules (metabolites) produced during the functioning (metabolism) of the small intestine is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. However, our current understanding of the dynamics, both in physics and chemistry, of these processes is limited, due to the lack of access, in situ, to the intestinal environment. This is how the article by engineers from the University of California at San Diego begins, recently published in the journal “Nature Communications” (1). This access to our intestines seems all the more important since, according to scientists, approximately one in five people suffers from gastrointestinal disorders at some point in their life. Therefore, gut microbiota-derived metabolites (see box below) and their role in disease, nutrition, obesity and other areas have attracted considerable attention.
The 2.6 cm sensor, a pill not easy to swallow… The team is working to further miniaturize the device. What to allow, in the future, to avoid many endoscopies. © David Baillot
Continuous monitoring
Indeed, chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes or obesity are caused by the dysfunction of intestinal processes involving the absorption or digestion of metabolites in the intestine. Thus, continue the researchers, access to relevant sections of the digestive tract might facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of many gastrointestinal disorders. “And if the place is not easily accessible, that does not scare the engineers, who bring in their publication the demonstration of an original system. It is a battery-free, ingestible biosensing device for monitoring metabolites in the small intestine. It differs from its predecessors, among other things, by the absence of batteries (very dangerous if swallowed).
ACCESS TO THE RELEVANT SECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT WILL FACILITATE THE DIAGNOSIS OF MANY DISORDERS. »
As a proof of concept, the researchers propose a dynamic monitoring (quantitative and over time) of intestinal glycaemia… in a pig. “Battery-free operation is achieved through a self-powered glucose biobattery integrated into a circuit that performs energy harvesting,” the scientists explain in their paper. Then, “biosensing and wireless ranging is done via a power-to-frequency conversion scheme,” they continue. Activation of the electronic signal transmission circuit requires a power demand of approximately 0.4 µW. It is the glucose contained in the food bolus which will make it possible to obtain this power.
Indeed, it feeds the battery and its concentration modifies the signal emitted! To verify this, a measurement of the blood sugar level (glycaemia) was carried out throughout the experiment and this glycaemia was indeed linked to the emissions of the intestinal electronic capsule. The nearly 3 cm long capsule therefore remained in the intestine of the pig for two to five hours, and informed, every five seconds, of the concentration of glucose…
Detect glucose, O2 and other molecules
But the researchers’ work does not stop there, since they intend to further miniaturize the device and extend its capacity to provide indications on acidity, oxygen concentration or even temperature measurement… “Future work will focus on solving the limitations of the capsule, and developing its detection capabilities.
Such technology might then play a key role in diagnosing malabsorptive conditions, such as those that occur in chronic pancreatitis or dumping syndrome (also called rapid gastric emptying, which occurs when foods, especially sugars, move too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine – Editor’s note), for example by analyzing whether complex carbohydrates are sufficiently broken down and measuring the emptying time of the food bolus in the small intestine”, conclude San Diego engineers. If a smart capsule makes it possible to avoid heavy endoscopies associated with inconvenience, it is good news that is rather easy to digest!
Water, air, microbiota… Life!
Microorganisms were among the very first forms of life on Earth and they are the most abundant and diverse. Essential to the development of the planet, we are surrounded by micro-organisms: they are present in the earth, water, the food we eat, but also on and in our body (digestive tract, lungs, mouth, skin, vagina …)!
They live mainly in the form of communities called “microbiota”. Each organ has its own microbiota. We speak of “intestinal microbiota” to designate the most important community of microbes in our body, which lives in our intestines.
Launched in September 2022 by Inserm, AP-HP and Inrae, a project called “French Gut” aims to collect the stools of 100,000 adult volunteers residing in metropolitan France. The objective is to better understand the composition of the intestinal microbiota in a healthy population and its modifications in the event of disease.
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