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Carrier-Mediated Transport

Carrier-Mediated Transport

Carrier-mediated transport is a pivotal process in drug absorption, particularly for lipid-insoluble drugs, and encompasses facilitated diffusion and active transport. Facilitated diffusion allows drugs to move along their concentration gradient without energy expenditure, while active transport utilizes ATP to drive drug movement against this gradient.
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...

Active Transport

Active Transport

Active transport is a critical biological process that allows cells to move solutes against an electrochemical gradient. This process requires direct energy input and is characterized by its selectivity, saturability, and susceptibility to competitive inhibition.
Primary active transporters, like Na+, K+ and -ATPase, directly utilize ATP to move ions across the membrane. These transporters play significant roles in various physiological processes. For instance, Na+, K+ and -ATPase maintain...

Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport

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.

Mechanisms of Drug Absorption: Paracellular, Transcellular, and Vesicular Transport

Mechanisms of Drug Absorption: Paracellular, Transcellular, and Vesicular Transport

Drugs need to permeate cell membranes to reach their target sites after administration. Orally administered drugs must transcend intestinal epithelial membrane barriers to infiltrate the systemic circulation. Drugs with a molecular weight of less than 500 Daltons diffuse through gaps between neighboring cells, called paracellular pathways.
However, most drugs use the transcellular route, traversing directly through the cell membranes via two mechanisms: passive and active transport. Passive...

Short-distance Transport of Resources

Short-distance Transport of Resources

Short-distance transport refers to transport that occurs over a distance of just 2-3 cells, crossing the plasma membrane in the process. Small uncharged molecules, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water, can diffuse across the plasma membrane on their own. In contrast, ions and larger molecules require the assistance of transport proteins due to their charge or size. Transport across membranes also occurs within individual cells, playing a variety of essential roles for the plant as a whole.

Facilitated Diffusion

Facilitated Diffusion

The plasma membrane, a critical structure in cellular biology, houses an array of transporters, or carrier proteins, interspersed within its lipid bilayer. These proteins play a crucial role in solute transport through facilitated diffusion, a form of passive diffusion that uses transporters to move the molecules across the membrane.
In this process, substrates such as organic compounds and ions interact with a transporter on one side, triggering conformational changes in proteins that enable...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

A Rapid and Specific Microplate Assay for the Determination of Intra- and Extracellular Ascorbate in Cultured Cells

A Rapid and Specific Microplate Assay for the Determination of Intra- and Extracellular Ascorbate in Cultured Cells

Published on: April 11, 2014

Cellular pathways for transport and efflux of ascorbate and dehydroascorbate.

Alessandro Corti¹, Alessandro F Casini, Alfonso Pompella

¹Dipartimento di Patologia Sperimentale, Università di Pisa, Italy. a.corti@biomed.unipi.it

Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics

|May 25, 2010

Summary

Cellular transport of vitamin C involves both uptake and efflux mechanisms. Understanding these pathways is crucial for comprehending vitamin C

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Last Updated: Jun 12, 2026

A Rapid and Specific Microplate Assay for the Determination of Intra- and Extracellular Ascorbate in Cultured Cells

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Published on: April 11, 2014

Measuring Trans-Plasma Membrane Electron Transport by C2C12 Myotubes

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Published on: May 4, 2018

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

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

Published on: October 17, 2013

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biochemistry
Nutritional Science

Background:

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) plays critical roles in cellular functions and pathophysiology.
Cellular transport mechanisms for vitamin C are essential for understanding its biological activity.
Both reduced (ascorbic acid) and oxidized (dehydroascorbate) forms of vitamin C are transported across cell membranes.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the diverse mechanisms of cellular ascorbic acid transport.
To highlight the significance of both uptake and efflux pathways in vitamin C homeostasis.
To review the known transporters and channels involved in vitamin C movement.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on cellular vitamin C transport.
Analysis of mechanisms for ascorbic acid (AA) and dehydroascorbate (DHA) uptake.
Examination of pathways involved in vitamin C efflux.

Main Results:

Ascorbic acid (AA) enters cells via sodium-dependent vitamin C transporters (SVCT).
Dehydroascorbate (DHA) utilizes glucose transporters (GLUT) and is reduced intracellularly.
Cellular efflux of AA occurs through various channels (VSOAC, Ca2+-dependent anion channels, hemichannels) and exocytosis.

Conclusions:

Cellular uptake of vitamin C involves distinct transporters for its reduced and oxidized forms.
Vitamin C efflux mechanisms are diverse and cell-type dependent.
Both uptake and efflux must be considered for a complete understanding of cellular vitamin C homeostasis and function.