The maintenance of body homeostasis relies heavily on physiological barriers. Dysfunction of these barriers can lead to various pathological processes, including increased exposure to toxic materials and microorganisms. Various methods exist to investigate barrier function in vivo and in vitro. To investigate barrier function in a highly reproducible manner, ethically, and high throughput, researchers have turned to non-animal techniques and micro-scale technologies. In this comprehensive review, the authors summarize the current applications of organ-on-a-chip microfluidic devices in the study of physiological barriers. The review covers the blood-brain barrier, ocular barriers, dermal barrier, respiratory barriers, intestinal, hepatobiliary, and renal/bladder barriers under both healthy and pathological conditions. The article then briefly presents placental/vaginal, and tumour/multi-organ barriers in organ-on-a-chip devices. Finally, the review discusses Computational Fluid Dynamics in microfluidic systems that integrate biological barriers. This article provides a concise yet informative overview of the current state-of-the-art in barrier studies using microfluidic devices.
Keywords: blood-brain barrier; computational fluid dynamics (CFD); dermal barrier; hepatobiliary barrier; ocular barriers; organ-on-a-chip; physiological barriers; renal and intestinal barriers; respiratory barrier; tumor barriers.