| Abstract: | Transcellular transport of fluorescein dextran (FD) of various molecular weights (4K, 10K, 20K, 70K and 150K daltons) through porcine arterial endothelial cells cultured on a type I collagen gel supported by a dacron sheet was studied and compared with the transport of low density lipoprotein labeled with rhodamine B (RB-LDL) described previously (Hashida et al., Cell Struct. Funct. 11, 31-42, 1986). The rate of FD transport through the monolayer depended on the size of the FD. FD transport was not temperature-dependent and was not a saturable process. Our findings show that FD transport differs from RB-LDL transport which is temperature- and dose-dependent. The mechanism of the transport of FD is compared with that of RB-LDL. |
