The computer-controlled multicompartmental dynamic model of the gastrointestinal system SIMGI

Abstract

The SIMGI (SIMulator Gastro-Intestinal) is an automated gastrointestinal in vitro model designed to dynamically simulate the physiological processes taking place during digestion in the stomach and small intestine, as well as to reproduce the colonic microbiota responsible for metabolic bioconversions in the large intestine. This computer-controlled system is a flexible modulating system that combines a gastric compartment that operates with peristaltic mixing movements, a reactor simulating the small intestine and three-stage continuous reactors that reproduce the colon region-specific microbiota. The compartments designed for digestion (stomach and small intestine) and fermentation (colon) can be connected to operate jointly. Alternatively, the digestion and fermentation processes can proceed independently. This section describes the conditions needed to inoculate, stabilize and differentiate the fecal microbiota in the SIMGI system, as well as the steps to follow in order to test the stabilized colonic microbiota with different food ingredients and/or by modifying the caloric intake in the nutrition media.