PHYSIOLOGY
CHAPTER 4: TRANSPORT OF SUBSTANCES THROUGH CELL MEMBRANES
1ST SEMESTER (2022-2023)
OUTLINE
Cell Membrane
Diffusion
Diffusion through Cell Membrane
Diffusion through Protein Pores and Channels
Facilitated Diffusion
Factors that Affect the Rate of Diffusion
Osmosis
Active Transport
Primary Active Transport
Secondary Active Transport
Cell Membrane
 Consists almost entirely of a lipid bilayer with
large numbers of protein molecules, many of
which penetrate all the way through the membrane
 Constitutes a barrier against the movement of
water molecules and water-soluble substances
between the extracellular and intracellular fluid
compartments
Figure 1. Chemical Composition of ECF and ICF
Diffusion
 Continual movement of molecules among one
another in liquids or gases
Diffusion Through Cell Membrane
 Diffusion through the cell membrane is divided
into two subtypes: simple diffusion and facilitated
diffusion
 Simple diffusion – kinetic movement of molecules
or ions occurs through a membrane opening or
through intermolecular spaces without interaction
with carrier proteins in the membrane
 Facilitated diffusion – requires interaction of a
carrier protein; the carrier protein aids passage of
molecules or ions through the membrane by
binding chemically with them and shuttling them
through the membrane in this form
 Aquaporin – protein “pores” that selectively
permit rapid passage of water through the
membrane
Diffusion through Protein Pores and Channels
 Protein Channels are distinguished by two
important characteristics:
o They are often selectively permeable to
certain substances
o Many of the channels can be opened or
closed by gates that are regulated by
electrical signals (voltage-gated channels)
or chemicals that bind to the channel
proteins (ligand-gated channels)
Facilitated Diffusion
 Also called carrier-mediated diffusion; requires
membrane carrier proteins
 The rate of diffusion approaches a maximum
called Vmax, as the concentration of the diffusing
substances increases
Factors that Affect the Rate of Diffusion
 Concentration difference across a membrane
o The rate at which the substance diffuses
inward is proportional to the concentration
of molecules on the outside because this
concentration determines how many
molecules strike the outside of the
membrane each second
 Electrical potential – The “Nernst Potential”
o If an electrical potential is applied across
the membrane, the electrical charges of the
ions cause them to move through the
membrane even though no concentration
difference exists to cause movement
 Pressure difference
o Pressure means the sum of all the forces of
the different molecules striking a unit
surface area at a given instant. Having a
higher-pressure result in an increased
amounts of energy available to cause a net
movement of molecules from the high-
pressure side to the low-pressure side
Page 1|3
PHYSIOLOGY
Figure 2. (A)Concentration Difference
(B)Electrical Potential (C)Pressure Difference
Osmosis
 Net movement of water caused by a concentration
difference of water
 Osmotic pressure – the amount of pressure
required to stop osmosis; the osmotic pressure
exerted by particles in a solution is determined by
the number of particles per unit volume of fluid
 Osmolality – concentration of a solution in terms
of numbers of particles
 Osmolarity – is the osmolar concentration
expresses as osmoles per kilogram of water
Active Transport
 When a cell membrane moves molecules or ions
uphill against a concentration gradient
Primary Active Transport
 Energy is derived directly from the breakdown of
ATP or some high-energy phosphate compound
 Sodium-Potassium Pump – transports sodium ions
out of cells and potassium ions into cells;
responsible for maintaining the sodium and
potassium concentration differences across the cell
membrane, as well as for establishing a negative
electrical voltage inside the cells
Figure 3. Sodium-Potassium Pump
1ST SEMESTER (AY 2022-2023)
 Carrier protein – a complex of two separate
globular proteins: a larger one called the α subunit
and a smaller one called the β subunit
o The larger protein has three specific
features: it has three binding sites for
sodium ions on the portion of the protein
that protrudes to the inside of the cell, it
has two binding sites for the potassium
ions on the outside, the inside portion of
this protein near the sodium binding sites
has ATPase activity
 Calcium pump – calcium ions are normally
maintained at an extremely low concentration in
the intracellular cytosol of virtually all cells in the
body by two primary active transport: one, which
is in the cell membrane, pumps calcium ions to the
outside of the cell and the other pumps calcium
ions into one or more of the intracellular vesicular
organelles of the cell
 Primary active transport of Hydrogen Ions –
especially important at two places in the body:
gastric glands (parietal cells) of the stomach and
in the late distal tubules (intercalated cells) and
cortical collecting ducts of the kidneys
Secondary Active Transport
 Co-transport – the linked, simultaneous transport
of one substance across a membrane, coupled with
the simultaneous transport of another substance
across the same membrane
 Counter-transport – the simultaneous transport of
two substances across a membrane in opposite
directions, either by the same carrier or by
different carriers that are biochemically linked to
each other
 Active transport through cellular sheets – occurs
through the following:
o Intestinal epithelium
o Epithelium of renal tubules
o Epithelium of all exocrine glands
o Epithelium of gallbladder
o Membrane of the choroid plexus of the
brain along with other membranes
Figure 4. Basic mechanism of active transport across a layer of cells
Page 2|3
PHYSIOLOGY 1ST SEMESTER (AY 2022-2023)

Page 3|3