{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T07:01:31Z","timestamp":1790146891879,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790121600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Environmental pollutants pose an escalating health threat, yet traditional toxicity models are inherently limited in recapitulating complex human physiology. As an emerging organ-on-a-chip technology, microfluidic lung-on-a-chip employs microengineering approaches to precisely replicate the key structural features and dynamic physiological microenvironment of the human lung\n                    <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                    , thereby providing a highly biomimetic research platform for toxicity evaluation of environmental pollutants. This review aims to summarize the core principles of this technology, its current application status in modelling pollutant exposure and toxic responses, and to analyze its advantages including biomimetic modeling and real-time monitoring over conventional\n                    <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                    models, as well as the challenges currently faced involving chip standardization, operational complexity, and subsystem integration. The article focuses on reviewing the latest research progress of microfluidic lung on a chip in assessing the inflammation and toxicity of atmospheric particulate matter and pathogen, volatile organic compounds and aromatic hydrocarbon, and emerging micro\/nanomaterials, and further envisions its broad application prospects in advancing studies in environmental toxicology, precision risk assessment, and personalized health prediction.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fbioe.2026.1942916","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T06:17:48Z","timestamp":1790144268000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Microfluidic lung-on-a-chip for evaluating inflammation and toxicity from environmental pollutants"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Fen","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food and Bioengineering, Xuzhou University of Technology","place":["Xuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haiyang","family":"Jia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Physics and New Energy, Xuzhou University of Technology","place":["Xuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fei","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food and Bioengineering, Xuzhou University of Technology","place":["Xuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yingjie","family":"Bao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food and Bioengineering, Xuzhou University of Technology","place":["Xuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dan","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food and Bioengineering, Xuzhou University of Technology","place":["Xuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"117472","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bios.2025.117472","article-title":"A comparative review of organ-on-a-chip technologies for micro- and nanoplastics versus other environmental toxicants","volume":"282","author":"Abdessalam","year":"2025","journal-title":"Biosens. Bioelectron."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"044117","DOI":"10.1063\/5.0011353","article-title":"Simulation of nanoparticle transport and adsorption in a microfluidic lung-on-a-chip device","volume":"14","author":"Amin Arefi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Biomicrofluidics"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"112300","DOI":"10.1016\/j.colsurfb.2021.112300","article-title":"L-Cysteine capped zinc oxide nanoparticles induced cellular response on adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cells using a conventional and organ-on-a-chip approach","volume":"211","author":"Arathi","year":"2022","journal-title":"Colloids Surf. B"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"456","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cels.2016.10.003","article-title":"Matched-comparative modeling of normal and diseased human airway responses using a microengineered breathing lung chip","volume":"3","author":"Benam","year":"2016","journal-title":"Cell Syst."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10038","DOI":"10.3390\/bios16010038","article-title":"Flexible inkjet-printed pH sensors for application in organ-on-a-chip biomedical testing","volume":"16","author":"Bo\u010dek","year":"2026","journal-title":"Biosensors"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1846147","DOI":"10.3389\/Fbioe.2026.1846147","article-title":"Impact of physiological strain on lung epithelial cells by exposure to aerosolised quartz silica in a perfused bioreactor","volume":"14","author":"Cacopardo","year":"2026","journal-title":"Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"114772","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bios.2022.114772","article-title":"A storm in a teacup-a biomimetic lung microphysiological system in conjunction with a deep-learning algorithm to monitor lung pathological and inflammatory reactions","volume":"219","author":"Chen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Biosens. Bioelectron."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"118909","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecoenv.2025.118909","article-title":"Human lung organoids reveal conserved CYP1A1 and metallothionein activation in response to particulate matter exposure","volume":"303","author":"Choi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1999","DOI":"10.1152\/physrev.00038.2025","article-title":"The cell with many faces: lung macrophage plasticity and function in response to environmental and pathogenic insults","volume":"106","author":"Dubey","year":"2026","journal-title":"Physiol. Rev."},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3143","DOI":"10.1021\/acsbiomaterials.6c00056","article-title":"Ipsc-derived bronchial airways-on-chip for the assessment of cytokine secretion triggered by volatile organic compounds","volume":"12","author":"Goldman-Pinkovich","year":"2026","journal-title":"ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng."},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"112601","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecoenv.2021.112601","article-title":"Development of alveolar-capillary-exchange (ace) chip and its application for assessment of PM2.5-induced toxicity","volume":"223","author":"Guan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf."},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"153685","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tox.2023.153685","article-title":"In vitro toxicity of fine and coarse particulate matter on the skin, ocular and lung microphysiological cell-culture systems","volume":"500","author":"Guerra-Fl\u00f3rez","year":"2023","journal-title":"Toxicol"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101309","DOI":"10.1016\/j.xinn.2026.101309","article-title":"Respiratory risks of microplastics and nanoplastics: where? What? How?","volume":"7","author":"Guo","year":"2026","journal-title":"Innovation"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"122222","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cej.2019.122222","article-title":"Microfluidics-enabled rational design of ZnO micro-\/nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalysis, cytotoxicity, and piezoelectric properties","volume":"378","author":"Hao","year":"2019","journal-title":"Chem. Eng. J."},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"168923","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2023.168923","article-title":"Long-term exposure to cadmium disrupts neurodevelopment in mature cerebral organoids","volume":"912","author":"Huang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sci. Total Environ."},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1662","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1188302","article-title":"Reconstituting organ-level lung functions on a chip","volume":"328","author":"Huh","year":"2010","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2156","DOI":"10.1039\/c2lc40089h","article-title":"Microengineered physiological biomimicry: Organs-on-chips","volume":"12","author":"Huh","year":"2012","journal-title":"Lab. Chip"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"485","DOI":"10.14573\/altex.2204071","article-title":"Applications of microphysiological systems to disease models in the biopharmaceutical industry: opportunities and challenges","volume":"40","author":"Irrechukwu","year":"2023","journal-title":"ALTEX"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"305","DOI":"10.1007\/s13206-022-00068-x","article-title":"Biological influence of pulmonary disease conditions induced by particulate matter on microfluidic lung chips","volume":"16","author":"Jabbar","year":"2022","journal-title":"Biochip J."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"224","DOI":"10.1039\/d3lc00751k","article-title":"A hybrid fluorescent nanofiber membrane integrated with microfluidic chips towards lung-on-a-chip applications","volume":"24","author":"Kanabekova","year":"2024","journal-title":"Lab. Chip"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"624","DOI":"10.1007\/s42242-024-00289-z","article-title":"Ionic liquid-based transparent membrane-coupled human lung epithelium-on-a-chip demonstrating PM0.5 pollution effect under breathing mechanostress","volume":"7","author":"Kaya","year":"2024","journal-title":"Bio-Des. Manuf."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2806","DOI":"10.1021\/acsbiomaterials.3c00089","article-title":"3D inkjet-bioprinted lung-on-a-chip","volume":"9","author":"Kim","year":"2023","journal-title":"ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng."},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"122289","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envres.2025.122289","article-title":"Advances in organ-on-a-chip technology to examine the impact of air pollutants on epithelial barrier tissues","volume":"285","author":"Koornneef","year":"2025","journal-title":"Environ. Res."},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1268","DOI":"10.1021\/envhealth.5c00072","article-title":"Applications of genome-wide screening of CRISPR\/Cas9 knockout library in identifying novel molecular targets for xenobiotics","volume":"3","author":"Lang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Environ. Health"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"342446","DOI":"10.1016\/j.aca.2024.342446","article-title":"Analysis of the response to cigarette smoke exposure in cell coculture and monoculture based on bionic-lung microfluidic chips","volume":"1300","author":"Li","year":"2024","journal-title":"Anal. Chim. Acta"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e11955","DOI":"10.1002\/advs.202511955","article-title":"Cyclic strain and macrophage-mediated transport govern micron-sized pm2.5 translocation across the air-blood barrier","volume":"13","author":"Li","year":"2026","journal-title":"Adv. Sci."},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"126066","DOI":"10.1016\/j.talanta.2024.126066","article-title":"Volatile carbonyl metabolites analysis of nanoparticle exposed lung cells in an organ-on-a-chip system","volume":"274","author":"Liu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Talanta"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-36588-2_3","article-title":"Organs-on-a-chip","volume":"1230","author":"Low","year":"2020","journal-title":"Adv. Exp. Med. Biol."},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"503","DOI":"10.1007\/s12272-020-01236-z","article-title":"Evaluation and live monitoring of pH-responsive HSA-ZnO nanoparticles using a lung-on-a-chip model","volume":"43","author":"Meghani","year":"2020","journal-title":"Arch. Pharmacal Res."},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"696668","DOI":"10.3389\/fcell.2021.696668","article-title":"Organoid technology: a reliable developmental biology tool for organ-specific nanotoxicity evaluation","volume":"9","author":"Prasad","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Cell Dev. Biol."},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1893","DOI":"10.1002\/elps.202000049","article-title":"Carbon nanotube dielectrophoresis: theory and applications","volume":"41","author":"Rabbani","year":"2020","journal-title":"Electrophoresis"},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"897","DOI":"10.1038\/s41551-025-01491-9","article-title":"An immune-competent lung-on-a-chip for modelling the human severe influenza infection response","volume":"10","author":"Ringquist","year":"2026","journal-title":"Nat. Biomed. Eng."},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"470","DOI":"10.3390\/mi12050470","article-title":"A decade of organs-on-a-chip emulating human physiology at the microscale: a critical status report on progress in toxicology and pharmacology","volume":"12","author":"Rothbauer","year":"2021","journal-title":"Micromachines"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e70028","DOI":"10.1002\/jbma.70028","article-title":"Advances in 3D organoids and organ-on-a-chip systems for biomedical research","volume":"114","author":"Sakthivel","year":"2026","journal-title":"J. Biomed. Mater. Res. A"},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"18181","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-025-00438-z","article-title":"A next-generation system for smoke inhalation integrated with a breathing lung-on-chip to model human lung responses to cigarette exposure","volume":"15","author":"Sengupta","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.1039\/d3lc00807j","article-title":"Fabrication of sac-like hydrogel membranes for replicating curved tissue barriers on chips","volume":"24","author":"She","year":"2024","journal-title":"Lab. Chip"},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2027","DOI":"10.1002\/bit.28426","article-title":"A microfluidic lung-on-a-chip based on biomimetic hydrogel membrane","volume":"120","author":"Shen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Biotechnol. Bioeng."},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1984","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.chemrestox.1c00219","article-title":"Advances in smoking related in vitro inhalation toxicology: a perspective case of challenges and opportunities from progresses in lung-on-a-chip technologies","volume":"34","author":"Singh","year":"2021","journal-title":"Chem. Res. Toxicol."},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"757","DOI":"10.1007\/s42242-021-00136-5","article-title":"Application of lung microphysiological systems to COVID-19 modeling and drug discovery: a review","volume":"4","author":"Sun","year":"2021","journal-title":"Bio-Des. Manuf."},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10332","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms262110332","article-title":"Microplastics in airborne particulate matter: a comprehensive review of separation techniques, in vitro toxicity and health impacts","volume":"26","author":"Uchmanowicz","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int. J. Mol. Sci."},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107801","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envint.2023.107801","article-title":"Advances of microfluidic lung chips for assessing atmospheric pollutants exposure","volume":"172","author":"Wang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Environ. Int."},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"118402","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecoenv.2025.118402","article-title":"Air pollution and its impacts on health: focus on microplastics and nanoplastics","volume":"299","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf."},{"key":"B43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"110526","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cbpc.2026.110526","article-title":"Organoids in environmental toxicology: applications, advantages, and future prospects","volume":"306","author":"Wang","year":"2026","journal-title":"Comp. Biochem. Physiol. Part C:Toxicol. Pharmacol."},{"key":"B44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"118535","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envres.2024.118535","article-title":"The potential impact of nano- and microplastics on human health: understanding human health risks","volume":"251","author":"Winiarska","year":"2024","journal-title":"Environ. Res."},{"key":"B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"126203","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijpharm.2025.126203","article-title":"Revealing immune cell secretion crosstalk in pulmonary pathogenesis: a microfluidic lung-on-a-chip approach","volume":"685","author":"Wu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int. J. Pharm."},{"key":"B46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3081","DOI":"10.1021\/acsbiomaterials.0c00221","article-title":"Assessment of air pollutant PM2.5 pulmonary exposure using a 3D lung-on-chip model","volume":"6","author":"Xu","year":"2020","journal-title":"ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng."},{"key":"B47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"21050","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.est.3c06668","article-title":"Microplastics and nanoplastics impair the biophysical function of pulmonary surfactant by forming heteroaggregates at the alveolar-capillary interface","volume":"57","author":"Xu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Environ. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"B48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104954","DOI":"10.1016\/j.etap.2026.104954","article-title":"Assessment of the toxicity of acrolein on an alveolus microphysiological system","volume":"122","author":"Xu","year":"2026","journal-title":"Environ. Toxicol. Pharmacol."},{"key":"B49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"113787","DOI":"10.1016\/J.Fct.2023.113787","article-title":"Evaluation of cigarette smoke-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in beas-2b cells based on a lung microfluidic chip","volume":"176","author":"Xue","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Chem. Toxicol."},{"key":"B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"519","DOI":"10.3389\/fbioe.2020.00519","article-title":"Organ-on-a-chip: opportunities for assessing the toxicity of particulate matter","volume":"8","author":"Yang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol."},{"key":"B51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"115861","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envpol.2020.115861","article-title":"Environmental toxicology wars: organ-on-a-chip for assessing the toxicity of environmental pollutants","volume":"268","author":"Yang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Environ. Pollut."},{"key":"B52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"131962","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhazmat.2023.131962","article-title":"Sentinel supervised lung-on-a-chip: a new environmental toxicology platform for nanoplastic-induced lung injury","volume":"458","author":"Yang","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Hazard. Mater."},{"key":"B53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1456","DOI":"10.1021\/envhealth.5c00141","article-title":"Organoid for air pollution toxicity assessment: advances and environmental applicability","volume":"3","author":"Yin","year":"2025","journal-title":"Environ. Health"},{"key":"B54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1048","DOI":"10.1039\/c8tx00156a","article-title":"A 3d human lung-on-a-chip model for nanotoxicity testing","volume":"7","author":"Zhang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Toxicol. Res."},{"key":"B55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7200","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.analchem.0c00759","article-title":"Investigation of environmental pollutant-induced lung inflammation and injury in a 3D coculture-based microfluidic pulmonary alveolus system","volume":"92","author":"Zhang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Anal. Chem."},{"key":"B56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"139927","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhazmat.2025.139927","article-title":"An integrated microfluidic pulmonary alveolus system for gradient-controlled investigation of nanoplastic-triggered lung inflammation and injury dynamics","volume":"498","author":"Zhang","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Hazard. Mater."},{"key":"B57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6176","DOI":"10.1021\/acsnano.3c08851","article-title":"Real-time quantification of nanoplastics-induced oxidative stress in stretching alveolar cells","volume":"18","author":"Zhao","year":"2024","journal-title":"ACS Nano"},{"key":"B58","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6083","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.est.3c07195","article-title":"Human airway organoids and multimodal imaging-based toxicity evaluation of 1-nitropyrene","volume":"58","author":"Zhou","year":"2024","journal-title":"Environ. Sci. Technol."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fbioe.2026.1942916\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T06:17:48Z","timestamp":1790144268000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fbioe.2026.1942916\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"references-count":58,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fbioe.2026.1942916"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fbioe.2026.1942916","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-4185"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-4185","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"article-number":"1942916"}}