Influence of initial molecular substance on the diffusion flux across cell membranes

Bum Joon Jung, Dae-Han Ki

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, USA; Proton Therapy Center, National Cancer Center, Goyang, South Korea.
Proton Therapy Center, National Cancer Center, Goyang, South Korea.

DOI: 10.4236/abb.2014.53021                

Abstract

The influence of initial placement of molecular or ion substance is investigated on the diffusion fluxes across the cell membrane. The diffusion fluxes and recovery curves are obtained by considering both the singlespot and double-spot concentrations inside the cell membrane. The results show that the additional concentration inside the membrane reduces the net fluxes at the cell interior as well as the exterior. In addition, it is found that the change in diffusion flux at the two outer walls of the membrane by the two-spot concentrations in the cell membrane is weaker than that of the single-spot concentration at the center. The variation of the influence of initial locations of the molecular concentrations inside the cell membrane on the diffusion fluxes is also discussed. This result can be applied to the diffusion process in avascular collagenous tissues.

Keywords

Diffusion Flux; Cell Membrane; Recovery Curves

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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