---
title: Wenxin Cao (D3), Department of Chemical System Engineering, received ESTIV Award at the 37th annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments
description: Wenxin Cao (D3),  Sakai-Nishikawa Lab., Department of Chemical System Engineering, received ESTIV Award at the 37th annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments.
---

[TOPICS ](https://www.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/topics)

# [Wenxin Cao (D3), Department of Chemical System Engineering, received ESTIV Award at the 37th annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments](https://www.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/topics/tp2024-12-20-001)

 Written by [Public Relations Office](https://www.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/topics/author/public-relations-office) | Dec 20, 2024 5:48:20 AM

 

On 1st December 2024, Wenxin Cao (D3),  Sakai-Nishikawa Lab., Department of Chemical System Engineering, received ESTIV Award at the 37th annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments.

 

 

About awarded research

Title: "Enhanced human beta-defensin 2 expression and secretion induced by *Lactiplantibacillus plantarum* OLL2712 achieved by an artificial mucus involved in vitro intestinal model"

Human beta-defensin 2 (hBD-2) is one of the most abundant antimicrobial peptides secreted by epithelial cells in the human body, and some reports state that the up-regulation of hBD-2 is considered a shared characteristic of probiotic bacteria modulating human health. However, most* in vitro *studies utilized heat-inactivated bacteria or performed co-culture for a limited time to study the host-microbe interaction. There is no *in vitro* study of the long-term host-microbe interaction with a representative environment with a mucosa barrier.

In this research, a stable *in vitro* model involving a biocompatible artificial mucus layer was achieved, which was also necessary to support *Lactiplantibacillus plantarum* OLL2712 proliferation. Then this model successfully recapitulated the regulation of hBD-2 expression and secretion by *Lactiplantibacillus plantarum* OLL2712, demonstrating its probiotic effect on intestinal epithelial cells under* in vitro *conditions, which was less evident in other previously reported co-culture models.

For the next step, we expect to incorporate this artificial mucus layer involved *in vitro* model together with a newly designed co-culture device which can provide distinct oxygen environments to better mimic the *in vivo* condition, and we plan to utilize it as a bottom-up approach to propose possible pathogenic mechanisms and identify potential therapeutics for gastrointestinal disorders.

 

Your impression & future plan

I really appreciate the constructive feedback and insightful suggestions provided by fellow researchers, which will serve as valuable guidance for my future work. And I would like to express my thanks to our collaborators at Meiji Co., Ltd, as well as to everyone in the Sakai-Nishikawa Lab for their consistent support and encouragement throughout this research work. As I continue my doctoral research, I aim to optimize the current *in vitro* model with a more representative oxygen environment and explore its diverse applications in studying host-microbe interactions within the field of pharmaceutics as well as food science.<https://jsaae37.secand.net/index.html>

[View full post](https://www.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/topics/tp2024-12-20-001)

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