Related Experiment Video For Caco-2 cells
Updated: May 3, 2026

Using Caco-2 Cells to Study Lipid Transport by the Intestine
Published on: August 20, 2015
Carrier-mediated uptake of nobiletin, a citrus polymethoxyflavonoid, in human intestinal Caco-2 cells
Osamu Kimura1, Chiho Ohta2, Nobuyuki Koga2
1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, 1757 Kanazawa, Ishikari-Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0293, Japan.
Abstract:
The mechanism of intestinal absorption of nobiletin (NBL) was investigated using Caco-2 cells. The uptake of NBL from the apical membranes of Caco-2 cells was rapid and temperature-dependent and the presence of metabolic inhibitors, NaN3 and carbonylcyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone, did not cause a decrease in NBL uptake. The relationship between the initial uptake of NBL and its concentration was saturable, suggesting the involvement of a carrier-mediated process. The Km and uptake clearance (Vmax/Km) values for NBL were 50.6 and 168.1μl/mg protein/min, respectively. This clearance value was about 9-fold greater than that of the non-saturable uptake clearance (Kd: 18.5μl/mg protein/min). The presence of structurally similar compounds, such as quercetin and luteolin, competitively inhibited NBL uptake. These results suggest that uptake of NBL from the apical membranes of Caco-2 cells is mainly mediated by an energy-independent facilitated diffusion process.
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