Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026

In vivo Liver Endocytosis Followed by Purification of Liver Cells by Liver Perfusion
Published on: November 10, 2011
Intracellular transport of small hydrophobic compounds by the hepatocyte
S D Zucker1, W Goessling, J L Gollan
1Division of Gastroenterology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Abstract:
The liver is responsible for the detoxification and biliary excretion of a variety of endogenous and xenobiotic compounds and, therefore, is capable of responding to rapid fluctuations in metabolic demand. In order to accomplish this function, the hepatocyte must efficiently transport a host of substrates with wide-ranging physical-chemical properties to intracellular sites for biotransformation and subsequent secretion into the bile. The trafficking of substrates and metabolites within the liver cell is a complex process, involving the coordinated action of cellular proteins, organellar membranes, the cytoskeleton, vesicular transport pathways, and bulk convective cytoplasmic flow. This review summarizes recent developments in the field of intracellular transport, with particular reference to the metabolism of small hydrophobic and amphipathic molecular species (e.g., bilirubin, bile salts, fatty acids) by the hepatocyte.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Drug Absorption Mechanism: Passive Membrane Transport
Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport
Phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with hydrophilic heads oriented outward and hydrophobic tails facing inward.
Mechanisms of Drug Absorption: Paracellular, Transcellular, and Vesicular Transport
However, most drugs use the transcellular route, traversing directly through the cell membranes via two mechanisms: passive and active transport. Passive...
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct microscopic...
Facilitated Diffusion
In this process, substrates such as organic compounds and ions interact with a transporter on one side, triggering conformational changes in proteins that enable...
Hepatic Drug Clearance: Role of Transporters

