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Updated: May 24, 2026

Cell Squeezing as a Robust, Microfluidic Intracellular Delivery Platform
Published on: November 7, 2013
[M cell in vitro model and its application in oral delivery of macromolecular drugs]
Heng-Fen Li1, Jin Zou, Ru-Yu Bai
1Engineering Research Center of Molecular Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Huaqiao University, Quanzhou 362021, China.
Abstract:
The oral administration of bioactive macromolecular drugs such as proteins, peptides and nucleic acids represents unprecedented challenges from the drug delivery point of view. One key consideration is how to overcome the gastrointestinal tract absorption barrier. Recent studies suggest that microfold cell (M cell), a kind of specialized antigen-sampling epithelial cell which is characterized by a high endocytic rate and low degradation ability, may play an important role in macromolecule oral absorption. The development of an in vitro M cell coculture system and its modified models greatly advanced the study of M cells and the development of oral delivery system for macromolecular drugs. The special structure, function and formation characteristics, and biomarkers of M cell are summarized in this review. The applications of in vitro M cell models in developing oral delivery system ofbioactive macromolecular drugs are discussed.
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