Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane

5.4K
Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
5.4K
Diffusion01:12

Diffusion

215.7K
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...
215.7K
Diffusion01:21

Diffusion

6.1K
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...
6.1K
Passive Diffusion: Overview and Kinetics01:17

Passive Diffusion: Overview and Kinetics

1.2K
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...
1.2K
Membrane Fluidity01:23

Membrane Fluidity

172.1K
Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates loosely attached to one another through chemical interactions. Molecules are generally able to move about in the plane of the membrane, giving the membrane its flexible nature called fluidity. Two other features of the membrane contribute to membrane fluidity: the chemical structure of the phospholipids and the presence of cholesterol in the membrane.
172.1K
Membrane Fluidity01:26

Membrane Fluidity

14.4K
Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is...
14.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Mirubactin-like siderophore-Fe complex from Amycolatopsis lurida strain 407 is associated with improved plant Fe status and yield in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under in vitro conditions.

World journal of microbiology & biotechnology·2026
Same author

The effect of craniocervical flexor exercise on chronic neck pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Pain management·2026
Same author

Brownian dynamics with soft constraints in soft matter systems.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

Plasma exosomal microRNAs as early predictors of subclinical acute kidney injury in septic patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery: a prospective observational cohort study.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Artificial intelligence in predicting anesthetic complications: current techniques, clinical applications, and limitations.

International journal of medical informatics·2026
Same author

Nanoarchitectonics of nitrogen/selenium functionalized Co-ZIF-9(III) nanorod/nanosheet for nanomolar-level detection of nitrofurantoin antibiotics in environmental and biomedical samples.

Nano convergence·2026
Same journal

Quantum simulation of alignment dependent differential cross sections in co-propagating molecular beams at cold collision energies.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same journal

Non-additive ion effects on the coil-globule equilibrium of a generic polymer in aqueous salt solutions.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same journal

Insights into the unexpected small reduction of the temperature of maximum density of water by lithium chloride addition.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same journal

Optical frequency comb double-resonance spectroscopy of the 9030-9175 cm-1 states of ethylene.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same journal

Time reversal breaking of colloidal particles in cells.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same journal

Photodynamics of amino acids under UV excitation: Extraterrestrial amino acids.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 8, 2026

From Fast Fluorescence Imaging to Molecular Diffusion Law on Live Cell Membranes in a Commercial Microscope
15:10

From Fast Fluorescence Imaging to Molecular Diffusion Law on Live Cell Membranes in a Commercial Microscope

Published on: October 9, 2014

11.8K

Enhanced molecular diffusion near a soft fluctuating membrane.

Ali Mohammadi1, Zhen Li1, Sophie Marbach2

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA.

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|December 17, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Solvent molecules diffuse faster near soft, fluctuating lipid membranes due to enhanced momentum exchange. This molecular-level mixing effect differs from larger particle dynamics and is crucial for biological processes.

More Related Videos

Spot Variation Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Analysis of Molecular Diffusion at the Plasma Membrane of Living Cells
05:56

Spot Variation Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Analysis of Molecular Diffusion at the Plasma Membrane of Living Cells

Published on: November 12, 2020

3.2K
Fluorescence Recovery after Merging a Droplet to Measure the Two-dimensional Diffusion of a Phospholipid Monolayer
07:54

Fluorescence Recovery after Merging a Droplet to Measure the Two-dimensional Diffusion of a Phospholipid Monolayer

Published on: October 15, 2015

8.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 8, 2026

From Fast Fluorescence Imaging to Molecular Diffusion Law on Live Cell Membranes in a Commercial Microscope
15:10

From Fast Fluorescence Imaging to Molecular Diffusion Law on Live Cell Membranes in a Commercial Microscope

Published on: October 9, 2014

11.8K
Spot Variation Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Analysis of Molecular Diffusion at the Plasma Membrane of Living Cells
05:56

Spot Variation Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Analysis of Molecular Diffusion at the Plasma Membrane of Living Cells

Published on: November 12, 2020

3.2K
Fluorescence Recovery after Merging a Droplet to Measure the Two-dimensional Diffusion of a Phospholipid Monolayer
07:54

Fluorescence Recovery after Merging a Droplet to Measure the Two-dimensional Diffusion of a Phospholipid Monolayer

Published on: October 15, 2015

8.4K

Area of Science:

  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Biophysics
  • Computational Chemistry

Background:

  • Hydrodynamic interactions cause anisotropic resistance for particles near interfaces.
  • Diffusion near soft, fluctuating interfaces is less understood than near hard interfaces.
  • Previous studies focused on larger particles, not molecular-scale thermal fluctuations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To numerically investigate solvent molecule dynamics near a fluctuating lipid membrane.
  • To understand the mechanisms of diffusion and mixing at the molecular scale near soft interfaces.
  • To compare diffusion near fluctuating membranes with rigid flat and undulated interfaces.

Main Methods:

  • Numerical simulations of individual solvent molecules.
  • Analysis of molecular dynamics near a thermally fluctuating lipid membrane.
  • Comparison with simulations of rigid interfaces (flat and undulated).

Main Results:

  • Diffusive motion of solvent molecules is enhanced near fluctuating membranes compared to flat rigid ones.
  • Momentum exchange between the membrane and molecules promotes mixing and overcomes geometric trapping.
  • Efficient momentum transfer creates an effective slip boundary condition.

Conclusions:

  • Fluctuating soft interfaces enhance molecular diffusion and mixing through spontaneous momentum exchange.
  • These molecular-scale mechanisms are distinct from those governing larger particle diffusion.
  • Findings are relevant to biological processes and soft-matter technologies involving cell membranes.