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Related Concept Videos

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...
Diffusion01:21

Diffusion

Diffusion is a type of passive transport. In passive transport, a substance tends to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until the concentration is equal across the space. For example, take the diffusion of substances through the air. When someone opens a perfume bottle in a room filled with people, the perfume is at its highest concentration in the bottle and is at its lowest at the edges of the room. The perfume vapor will diffuse, or spread away, from the...
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...
Drug Absorption Mechanism: Passive Membrane Transport01:23

Drug Absorption Mechanism: Passive Membrane Transport

Passive transport is a method of drug absorption where small, lipid-soluble drugs can move across the cell membrane. This movement happens along the concentration gradient, which is a natural flow from higher to lower concentration areas. The speed at which the drug moves is directly related to its lipid–water partition coefficient. This means that the more a drug dissolves in lipids, the faster it diffuses or spreads throughout the body. It is important to note that most drugs are either weak...
Mechanisms of Drug Absorption: Paracellular, Transcellular, and Vesicular Transport01:23

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...
Methods for Studying Drug Absorption: In vitro01:16

Methods for Studying Drug Absorption: In vitro

In vitro experiments are crucial for understanding the transport and absorption of drugs through biological materials. These studies employ varied methods such as the diffusion cell method, the everted sac technique, and the everted ring technique.
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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

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

Skin absorption: Flow-through or static diffusion cells.

H M Clowes1, R C Scott, J R Heylings

  • 1Zeneca Central Toxicology Laboratory, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4TJ, UK.

Toxicology in Vitro : an International Journal Published in Association with BIBRA
|August 10, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A new flow-through diffusion cell system was validated for measuring skin permeability. This system demonstrated comparable results to static cells for hydrophilic compounds, showing its potential for percutaneous absorption studies.

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Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • Dermal Absorption Studies
  • In Vitro Skin Permeation

Background:

  • Commercially available flow-through diffusion cells exist for in vitro skin permeability measurements.
  • Existing systems may have limitations, prompting the development of improved laboratory designs.
  • The CTL system, capable of running 15 cells simultaneously, was developed as an advancement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare a newly designed laboratory flow-through diffusion cell system (CTL system) with a validated static cell system.
  • To assess the ability of the flow-through system to measure percutaneous absorption.
  • To evaluate the influence of different skin preparations and receptor fluids on absorption measurements.

Main Methods:

  • The study utilized a newly designed flow-through diffusion cell system (CTL system) and a well-established static cell system.
  • Two hydrophilic chemicals, water and mannitol, were used as test penetrants.
  • Skin permeability was examined across different species (humans, pigs, rats) and skin preparations (whole skin, epidermis, dermatomed skin).
  • The effect of receptor fluid (tissue culture medium vs. saline) on absorption was investigated.

Main Results:

  • Absorption data generated by the flow-through diffusion cells were comparable to those obtained from the static cell system.
  • Good agreement in permeability coefficients was observed between the two cell types for each species and skin preparation.
  • The absorption of hydrophilic test penetrants was similar regardless of whether saline or tissue culture medium was used as the receptor fluid.

Conclusions:

  • The newly designed flow-through diffusion cell system provides reliable measurements of skin permeability for hydrophilic compounds.
  • The CTL system shows good agreement with established static cell methods for percutaneous absorption studies.
  • Further research is warranted to evaluate the system's performance with lipophilic molecules.