Protein Digestion and Absorption
Abstract Dietary proteins undergo luminal digestion by gastric and pancreatic proteases and then membrane digestion by peptidases associated with the brush border membrane of enterocytes. The end products of this…
Bioavailability of Vitamin E
Abstract Vitamin E (VE) is the generic term for eight naturally occurring molecules, four tocopherols, and four tocotrienols, exhibiting the biological activity of α-tocopherol. Its dietary intake has been associated…
Physiology of Cholngiocytes
Abstract Cholangiocytes are epithelial cells that line the network of interconnecting intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. The main physiologic function of cholangiocytes is the modification of the bile within the…
Intestinal Absorption of Vitamin K: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms
Abstract The lipid-soluble Vitamin K plays an essential role in facilitating blood coagulation by activating clotting factors; it also plays a role in signal transduction, cell proliferation, and in bone…
Enterocyte Fatty Acid Handling Proteins and Chylomicron Formation
Abstract Intestinal lipid absorption is an efficient and highly complex process. Here we review the main pathways involved in intestinal processing of dietary lipid. We discuss the regulation of enterocyte…
Salivary Gland Secretion
Abstract Saliva coats the surfaces of the mouth, providing a protective, lubricious layer that maintains homeostasis of the oral environment. Salivary glands in humans and other mammals consist of three…
Molecular Mechanisms of Polarized Protein Trafficking in Epithelial Cells
Abstract The transport functions of epithelial cells in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and elsewhere, are made possible by their remarkable apical-basolateral plasma membrane asymmetry. This property, commonly called membrane polarity,…
Bile Formation and the Enterohepatic Circulation
Abstract Hepatic bile formation serves a number of important functions such as critical roles in the excretion of lipid-soluble xenobiotics and endobiotics, intestinal lipid digestion and absorption, and cholesterol homeostasis….
The Cell Biology of Gastric Acid Secretion
Abstract The regulation of gastric HCl secretion by the parietal cell occurs primarily through the regulated recycling of H,K-ATPase. Secretagogue stimulation of the parietal cell initiates HCl secretion by effecting…
Regulation of Pancreatic Secretion
Abstract Pancreatic secretion is regulated by highly integrated neural and hormonal influences that involve the brain, enteric nervous system, and gastrointestinal tract. Although these processes are complex they illustrate the…
