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Updated: May 13, 2026

Using Caco-2 Cells to Study Lipid Transport by the Intestine
Published on: August 20, 2015
Sodium alginate-modified C3G nanoliposomes enhance their transport efficiency in 3D Caco-2 spheroid models through
Hao Zhong1, Yuqing Huang1, Huange Zhang1
1College of Food Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China.
Abstract:
Sodium alginate-modified nanoliposomes delivery systems can effectively improve the stability and bioavailability of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), yet their cellular uptake and transport mechanisms remain poorly understood. Hence, the study was designed to compare the uptake and transport processes of free C3G, C3G nanoliposomes (C3G-NL) and sodium alginate-modified C3G nanoliposomes (SA-C3G-NL) in a 3D Caco-2 spheroid model. In this study, a 3D Caco-2 spheroid absorption model was established using a hydrogel as a scaffold, which has a complete cell layer and higher permeability. C3G, C3G-NL, and SA-C3G-NL were incubated, respectively, with 3D Caco-2 spheroids to study the uptake and transport processes by the bidirectional apparent permeability coefficient, efflux ratio, and gene and protein expression levels. The transport manner of both C3G and its nanoliposomes was concentration-dependent and time-dependent, and inhibited at low temperatures. Based on efflux ratio data, C3G entered cells via passive diffusion, while C3G-NL and SA-C3G-NL entered cells likely via processes related to active transport. Sodium alginate-modified C3G nanoliposomes significantly upregulated the mRNA expression levels of tight junction proteins ZO-1 (TJP-1), occluding (OCLN), and claudin-1 (CLDN-1), as well as the transport proteins SGLT1 (SLC5A1) and GLUT2 (SLC2A2), while downregulating the mRNA expression of the efflux protein BCRP (ABCG2), suggesting that sodium alginate-modified C3G nanoliposomes may contribute to improved intestinal barrier-related properties. This study provides new insights into the transport of sodium alginate-modified C3G nanoliposomes in the 3D Caco-2 spheroid models.
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