Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Role of Transporters

Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Role of Transporters

A drug's nonlinear kinetics can be influenced by a diverse range of transporter proteins that serve as crucial players in drug distribution. These transporters, found within cells, can enhance or reduce local drug concentrations by facilitating the influx or efflux of drugs. For instance, the expression of xenobiotic transporters can be influenced by factors such as age and gender, potentially impacting the linearity of drug response.
Polymorphisms occurring in drug transporters can alter...

Drug Concentration Versus Time Correlation

Drug Concentration Versus Time Correlation

The plasma drug concentration-time curve is a crucial tool in pharmacokinetics, representing the drug's concentration in plasma at different time intervals post-administration. This curve illustrates the drug's journey from absorption into the systemic circulation, distribution to body tissues, and eventual elimination through excretion or biotransformation.
Two pivotal parameters are the minimum effective concentration (MEC) and the minimum toxic concentration (MTC). The MEC is the lowest drug...

Determination of Multiple Dosing Parameters: Steady-State, Minimum and Maximum Concentrations

Determination of Multiple Dosing Parameters: Steady-State, Minimum and Maximum Concentrations

Gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, is commonly administered via intermittent intravenous infusion to treat severe infections. An intermittent one-hour infusion of gentamicin, administered at eight-hour intervals, allows for precise control of plasma drug concentrations, minimizing toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy. Pharmacokinetic principles govern the dynamics of plasma concentrations and can be mathematically described using specific equations.The plasma drug concentration...

Hepatic Drug Clearance: Role of Transporters

Hepatic Drug Clearance: Role of Transporters

In the liver and bile canaliculi, influx and efflux transporters modification can influence intrinsic clearance. Transporters play a significant role in moving drugs within liver cells. Elaborate models, such as the Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS), are essential to relate transporters to drug disposition. This system categorizes drugs into four classes based on solubility and permeability, providing insights into elimination routes and the effects of transporters following oral...

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...

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Pectin removal in Acer rubrum increases pit membrane compliance and embolism propagation.

Plant physiology·2026

Same author

Soil water harvest inspired by desert horned lizards, <i>Phrynosoma platyrhinos</i>.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

The influence of electrical charge on plasmodesma conductivity.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Torus-margo pits cannot function in vessel-bearing angiosperms.

Communications biology·2026

Same author

The geometry of Nature's stingers is universal due to stochastic mechanical wear.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Visualizing physical interactions between guard and epidermal cells during light-induced stomatal opening in 2 angiosperms.

Plant physiology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 2026

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

Optimal concentrations in transport systems.

Kaare H Jensen¹, Wonjung Kim, N Michele Holbrook

¹Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. jensen@mailaps.org

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface

|April 19, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study presents a universal framework for understanding material transport in systems where impedance increases with concentration. The model identifies an optimal concentration for efficient flow, applicable to biological and engineered systems.

More Related Videos

A Whole Cell Bioreporter Approach to Assess Transport and Bioavailability of Organic Contaminants in Water Unsaturated Systems

A Whole Cell Bioreporter Approach to Assess Transport and Bioavailability of Organic Contaminants in Water Unsaturated Systems

Published on: December 24, 2014

Generic Protocol for Optimization of Heterologous Protein Production Using Automated Microbioreactor Technology

Generic Protocol for Optimization of Heterologous Protein Production Using Automated Microbioreactor Technology

Published on: December 15, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 12, 2026

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

A Whole Cell Bioreporter Approach to Assess Transport and Bioavailability of Organic Contaminants in Water Unsaturated Systems

A Whole Cell Bioreporter Approach to Assess Transport and Bioavailability of Organic Contaminants in Water Unsaturated Systems

Published on: December 24, 2014

Generic Protocol for Optimization of Heterologous Protein Production Using Automated Microbioreactor Technology

Generic Protocol for Optimization of Heterologous Protein Production Using Automated Microbioreactor Technology

Published on: December 15, 2017

Area of Science:

Fluid dynamics
Biophysics
Systems biology

Background:

Many biological and engineered systems depend on efficient material transport.
Material transfer is influenced by flow rate and concentration, but high concentrations often lead to increased impedance, complicating transport.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a general framework for analyzing systems where transport impedance rises with material concentration.
To identify an optimal concentration for maximizing material transfer efficiency.

Main Methods:

Developed a theoretical model for systems with concentration-dependent impedance.
Applied the model to diverse natural systems: vertebrate blood flow, plant sugar transport, and nectar feeding in birds and insects.
Validated model predictions against experimental data from over 100 species.

Main Results:

The model provides a method to determine the optimal concentration (copt).
Optimal impedance (μopt) can be related to the carrier medium's impedance (μ0) by μopt = 2^(α)μ0, where α depends on flow constraints.
Model successfully rationalizes observed concentrations and impedances across various species.

Conclusions:

The developed framework offers a universal approach to studying concentration-impeded flows.
Provides insights into optimization principles in both natural and engineered transport systems, including traffic flow.