Comparison of Coculture Models of Eukaryotic Cells With Pathogenic and/or Commensal Bacteria for Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Appropriate in vitro systems are needed to evaluate effective strategies to prevent implant-associated infections, which remain a significant complication in today's medicine. Conventional in vitro models involving monocultures cannot fully reflect the tissue environment in vivo. Coculturing eukaryotic and prokaryotic pathogenic and commensal cells in in vitro models configured according to the needs of each tissue could better mimic complex tissue structures and actual clinical conditions. This approach may also enable better investigations of cell–cell interactions and interactions with an implant surface than culturing each cohort separately. This review aims to provide an overview of current studies and techniques that demonstrate competitive colonization between mammalian and bacterial cell populations (pathogenic and commensal), highlight the gaps in current techniques, and speculate on the future of using these complex cell systems in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.