Most Glucose is Absorbed in the Epithelial Cells of the Small

Question

Most glucose is absorbed in the epithelial cells of the small intestine by A) simple diffusion. B) secondary active transport with Na⁺. C) osmosis. D) phagocytosis.

Accepted Answer

Glucose is transported across the epithelial cells of the small intestine by secondary active transport with the help of the Na+/glucose co-transporter SGLT1. This process is driven by the electrochemical gradient established by the Na+/K+ ATPase pump on the basolateral membrane. Once inside the epithelial cells, glucose can then diffuse out of the cells and enter the bloodstream via facilitated diffusion through the GLUT2 transporter.