Using In Vitro Models to Study the Interactions Between Environmental Exposures and Human Microbiota: Advantages, Challenges and Opportunities

Research has demonstrated a close correlation between human microbiota and overall health, highlighting their intimate connection. Exposure to environmental factors, such as chemical contaminants and biological agents, has the potential to alter the composition and function of microbiota, thereby influencing health outcomes. Meanwhile, microbiota may contribute to host protection by degrading or rendering harmless exposures. Environmental exposures demonstrate significant diversity and dynamism; however, conventional methods for exposure-microbiota research, such as animal and epidemiological studies, are often both time-consuming and costly. Additionally, they may raise ethical concerns. In this review, we rigorously examine the existing understanding of employing in vitro models, a cost-effective, swift, and dependable approach, to investigate the interactions between environmental exposures and human microbiota. We summarize the advantages of applying in vitro models to study the interactions, identify knowledge gaps in this field, and propose promising directions for future research.