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Related Concept Videos

Physiological Barriers01:25

Physiological Barriers

Physiological barriers are semi-permeable cellular structures restricting drug diffusion into intracellular compartments and tissues. There are six types of physiological barriers: blood endothelial, cell membrane, blood-brain, blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood-placenta, and blood-testis barriers.
The blood endothelial barrier is the most porous of these. It allows all small ionized, un-ionized, and lipophilic molecules to pass through the endothelial lining into the interstitial space...
The Blood-brain Barrier00:49

The Blood-brain Barrier

Overview
Passive Diffusion: Overview and Kinetics01:17

Passive Diffusion: Overview and Kinetics

Passive diffusion is a critical process that allows small lipophilic drugs to cross the cell membrane along a concentration gradient. This mechanism's efficiency depends on four primary factors: the membrane's surface area, the drug's lipid-water partition coefficient, the concentration gradient, and the membrane's thickness.
When administered orally, drugs establish a substantial concentration gradient between the gastrointestinal (GI) lumen and the bloodstream, expediting their diffusion into...
Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport01:24

Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport

Drugs must traverse multiple biological barriers, such as multi-layered skin, single-layered intestinal epithelium, and the plasma membrane, to reach their target sites within the body. The plasma membrane, a highly structured composite of phospholipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, is the cell's protective boundary, facilitating selective substance exchange.
Phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with hydrophilic heads oriented outward and hydrophobic tails facing inward.
Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane

Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
Diffusion01:12

Diffusion

Diffusion is the passive movement of substances down their concentration gradients—requiring no expenditure of cellular energy. Substances, such as molecules or ions, diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration in the cytosol or across membranes. Eventually, the concentration will even out, with the substance moving randomly but causing no net change in concentration. Such a state is called dynamic equilibrium, which is essential for maintaining overall...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Barrier Functional Integrity Recording on bEnd.3 Vascular Endothelial Cells via Transendothelial Electrical Resistance Detection
09:03

Barrier Functional Integrity Recording on bEnd.3 Vascular Endothelial Cells via Transendothelial Electrical Resistance Detection

Published on: September 29, 2023

The diffusion-active permeable reactive barrier.

Alex O Schwarz1, Bruce E Rittmann

  • 1Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Correo 3, Ciudad Universitaria, Concepción, Chile. alexschwarz@udec.cl

Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
|January 19, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A novel permeable reactive barrier design uses bacteria to treat toxic metal groundwater contamination. This diffusion-active barrier creates sulfide to immobilize metals like zinc, proving practical for long-term aquifer remediation.

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Models and Methods to Evaluate Transport of Drug Delivery Systems Across Cellular Barriers
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Models and Methods to Evaluate Transport of Drug Delivery Systems Across Cellular Barriers

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A Method for Determination and Simulation of Permeability and Diffusion in a 3D Tissue Model in a Membrane Insert System for Multi-well Plates
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A Method for Determination and Simulation of Permeability and Diffusion in a 3D Tissue Model in a Membrane Insert System for Multi-well Plates

Published on: February 23, 2018

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Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

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09:03

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Models and Methods to Evaluate Transport of Drug Delivery Systems Across Cellular Barriers
18:57

Models and Methods to Evaluate Transport of Drug Delivery Systems Across Cellular Barriers

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A Method for Determination and Simulation of Permeability and Diffusion in a 3D Tissue Model in a Membrane Insert System for Multi-well Plates
10:33

A Method for Determination and Simulation of Permeability and Diffusion in a 3D Tissue Model in a Membrane Insert System for Multi-well Plates

Published on: February 23, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Biogeochemistry
  • Hydrogeology

Background:

  • Aquifer contamination by toxic metals poses significant environmental and health risks.
  • Conventional remediation methods often face limitations in efficiency and long-term effectiveness.
  • Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) offer a promising in-situ treatment approach for contaminated groundwater.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate a novel diffusion-active permeable reactive barrier (DAPRB) for treating metal-contaminated aquifers.
  • To analyze the biogeochemical processes and effectiveness of a sulfide-generating PRB design.
  • To assess the practicality and feasibility of the proposed DAPRB for long-term groundwater remediation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the expanded CCBATCH biogeochemical model, incorporating transport processes.
  • Performed theoretical biogeochemical analysis of an ideal sulfidic DAPRB configuration.
  • Simulated the interaction of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), particulate organic matter (POM), and sulfate with toxic metals like zinc (Zn).

Main Results:

  • Confirmed a gradient-resistance mechanism for bio-protection within the DAPRB.
  • Identified ZnS bio-sink formation at the interface of Zn and sulfide plumes in high-conductivity layers.
  • Demonstrated that alkalinity and pH distributions serve as indicators of sulfidogenesis and Zn immobilization.
  • ZnS mineral distribution accurately maps the location of bio-sinks, influenced by metal and sulfide fluxes.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed DAPRB design effectively immobilizes toxic metals like zinc through sulfide precipitation.
  • The system leverages microbial processes for in-situ groundwater treatment with a protective gradient mechanism.
  • The DAPRB is a practical and feasible solution, requiring minimal reactive material for sustained operation over decades.