Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Using Caco-2 Cells to Study Lipid Transport by the Intestine
Published on: August 20, 2015
Transport of parthenolide across human intestinal cells (Caco-2)
Shabana I Khan1, Ehab A Abourashed, Ikhlas A Khan
1National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA. skhan@olemiss.edu
Abstract:
This study examined the intestinal epithelial membrane transport of the sesquiterpene lactone parthenolide, a bioactive compound present in the migraine prophylactic herb feverfew. The Caco-2 human colonic cell line was used as an in vitro model of the human intestinal mucosal barrier. The bidirectional transport (apical to basolateral and basolateral to apical) of parthenolide was investigated using Caco-2 monolayers grown on Transwell inserts. Quantitation of parthenolide was performed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Apical to basolateral and basolateral to apical permeability coefficients and percent transport were calculated and a potential bioavailability of parthenolide was determined. Sodium fluorescein was used as a marker for paracellular leakage. Parthenolide, at a concentration of 250 microM, demonstrated substantial linear transport across the monolayer. The transport parameters were not affected by the presence of MK-571, an inhibitor of multidrug resistance transporter P-glycoprotein (MRP). Upon comparison of the transport parameters of parthenolide with atenolol under identical conditions and the reported values for model compounds like mannitol and propranolol, it is concluded that parthenolide is effectively absorbed through the intestinal mucosa via a passive diffusion mechanism.
Related Concept Videos
Carrier-Mediated Transport
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...
Mechanisms of Drug Absorption: Paracellular, Transcellular, and Vesicular Transport
However, most drugs use the transcellular route, traversing directly through the cell membranes via two mechanisms: passive and active transport. Passive...
Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport
Phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with hydrophilic heads oriented outward and hydrophobic tails facing inward.
Transcellular Transport of Solutes
Methods for Studying Drug Absorption: In vitro
The diffusion cell method uses a two-compartment cell, including a donor compartment with the drug solution, which simulates the environment where the drug is applied, and a receptor compartment with a buffer solution, which simulates the environment...
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct microscopic...

