Paracellular transport cell process

Permeation of mAbs across the cells or tissues is accomplished by transcellular or paracellular transport, involving the processes of diffusion, convection, and cellular uptake. Due to their physico-chemical properties, the extent of passive diffusion of classical mAbs across cell membranes in transcellular transport is minimal. Convection as the transport of molecules within a fluid movement is the major means of paracellular passage. The driving forces of the moving fluid containing mAbs from (1) the blood to the interstitial space of tissue or (2) the interstitial space to the blood via the lymphatic system, are gradients in hydrostatic pressure and/or osmotic pressure. In addition, the size and nature of the paracellular pores determine the rate and extent of paracellular transport. The pores of the lymphatic system are larger than those in the vascular endothelium. Convection is also affected by tortuosity, which is a measure of hindrance posed to the diffusion process, and defined as the additional distance a molecule must travel in a particular human fluid (i. e., in vivo) compared to an aqueous solution (i. e., in vitro). 

Small molecules and peptides are also thought to be absorbed through the lung surface by an analogous process called paracellular transport. This is achieved through the tight junctions which connect cells to each other. However, in contrast to transcytosis that is rapid and efficient, paracellular transport is slow and inefficient. 

Figure 1 General pathways through which molecules can actively or passively cross a monolayer of cells. (A) Endocytosis of solutes and fusion of the membrane vesicle with the opposite plasma membrane in an active process called transcytosis. (B) Similar to A, but the solute associates with the membrane via specific (e.g., receptor) or nonspecific (e.g., charge) interactions. (C) Passive diffusion between the cells through the paracellular space. (C, C") Passive diffusion (C ) through the cell membranes and cytoplasm or (C") via partitioning into and lateral diffusion within the cell membrane. (D) Active or carrier-mediated transport of an otherwise poorly membrane permeable solute into and/or out of a cellular barrier.

Culture protocols have been published which describes an accelerated differentiation process where monolayers are ready to be used after 3-7 days of culture [90-92]. One of these systems, the so-called BD BioCoat Intestinal Epithelium Differentiation Environment, is commercially available through BD Bioscience. This system is described to produce monolayers of a quality that are comparable with the typical Caco-2 cells with respect to permeability for drugs transported transcellularly. The paracellular barrier function is however low, as indicated by high mannitol permeability and low TER. The functional capacity for active uptake and efflux is not as thoroughly characterized as for the standard Caco-2 mono-layers. 

There are two pathways by which a drug molecule can cross the epithelial cell the transcellular pathway, which requires the drug to permeate the cell membranes, and the paracellular pathway, in which diffusion occurs through water-filled pores of the tight junctions between the cells. Both the passive and the active transport processes may contribute to the permeability of drugs via the transcellular pathway. These transport pathways are distinctly different, and the molecular properties that influence drug transport by these routes are also different (Fig. 

Figure 1. Solute transfer across an idealised eukaryote epithelium. The solute must move from the bulk solution (e.g. the external environment, or a body fluid) into an unstirred layer comprising water/mucus secretions, prior to binding to membrane-spanning carrier proteins (and the glycocalyx) which enable solute import. Solutes may then move across the cell by diffusion, or via specific cytosolic carriers, prior to export from the cell. Thus the overall process involves 1. Adsorption 2. Import 3. Solute transfer 4. Export. Some electrolytes may move between the cells (paracellular) by diffusion. The driving force for transport is often an energy-requiring pump (primary transport) located on the basolateral or serosal membrane (blood side), such as an ATPase. Outward electrochemical gradients for other solutes (X+) may drive import of the required solute (M+, metal ion) at the mucosal membrane by an antiporter (AP). Alternatively, the movement of X+ down its electrochemical gradient could enable M+ transport in the same direction across the membrane on a symporter (SP). A, diffusive anion such as chloride. Kl-6 refers to the equilibrium constants for each step in the metal transfer process, Kn indicates that there may be more than one intracellular compartment involved in storage. See the text for details...

It is well established today that drug absorption through the alimentary canal walls is a complex event, which involves, in many cases, parallel or sequent microprocesses at the apical membrane of the absorptive cell (enterocyte) or between them (paracellular absorption). In addition to the various types of diffusion processes across the enterocyte membrane, numerous specific proteins—transporters and efflux pumps—are involved in the intricate drug absorption process. In the following sections the various epithelial tissues of the different organs of the GI tract will be looked at briefly. A review of major drug absorption mechanisms across epithelial cells, as they are customary today will follow. 

To reach the perivascular interstitium, immunoglobulins and other molecules must breach the endothelial cell barrier. Simionescu and Anthohe [17] note that an adult human contains more than 1013 endothelial cells which cover 7000 square meters and mass approximately 1kg.3 Egress to interstitium is affected by type of endothelium (continuous, fenestrated, or sinusoidal), endothelial uptake and transport processes (receptor-dependent or receptor-independent uptake, endocytosis and transcytosis4), paracellular (between or... 

Figure 2 Schematic illustration of the (transport) properties of the blood-brain barrier. Shown is the influence of astrocyte endfeet at the brain capillary endothelial cell. This cell has narrow tight junctions, low pinocytotic activity, many mitochondria, and luminal anionic sites that hinder the transport of negatively charged compounds. Passive hydrophilic transport occurs via paracellular diffusion (tight junctions), whereas passive lipophilic transport is a transcytotic process. Adsorptive-, receptor-, and carrier-mediated transport has been indicated. The metabolic properties of the BBB are illustrated by the various enzymes at the BBB [from (157), with permission].

Another human colonic cancer cell line is T84, which forms monolayers that are even tighter than those of the Caco-2. It has been described as resembling a colonic crypt cell phenotype. Hence, these cells have been used mainly in studies of epithelial ion secretion and are generally not considered to be adequate for drug transport studies, particularly with respect to carrier-mediated processes [13, 91, 92]. The rat intestinal epithelial cell line IEC-18 has been evaluated as a model to study small intestinal epithelial permeability. This cell line, which forms very leaky monolayers, was proposed to be a better model than the Caco-2 monolayers for evaluating the small intestinal paracellular permeation of hydrophilic molecules [93]. Importantly, the leaky tight junctions of the IEC-18 cells are a result of an undeveloped paracellular barrier lacking the perijunctional actin belt. In addition, the IEC-18 cells have minute expression of transporters [91, 93]. 

The appropriateness of any cell culture model used to study drug delivery processes, whether a primary or a cell line, should be based on certain basic criteria. These include but are not limited to the presence of a restrictive paracellular pathway that allows effective characterization of transcellular permeability, the presence of physiologically realistic cell architecture reflective of the tissue barrier of interest, the expression of functional transporter mechanisms representative of the tissue barrier of interest, and the ease, convenience, and reproducibility of the culture methods.4 However, pharmaceutical scientists must realize that cell culture models in use today are not ideal with respect to these criteria, and there will be advantages and limitations with any choice. 

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