Body Compartments and Drug Movement A

Question 1

What does compartments mean?

Answer 1

Locations separated by a physical barrier.

There are extracellular and intracellular compartments.

Question 2

What does the extracellular compartments protect?

Answer 2

The blood and interstitial fluids.

Question 3

What are the interstitial fluids?

Answer 3

Thin layer of fluid which surrounds the body’s cells.

Question 4

What does the intracellular compartments protect?

Answer 4

Everything else which is in the cells.

Question 5

What are the cavities?

Answer 5

Spaces which contain the organs and is surrounded by a thin layer of fluid.

Question 6

Name some cavities which are present in the body.

Answer 6

Thoracic Cavity
Abdominal Cavity
Pleural Cavity
Pelvic Cavity

Question 7

What is a lumen?

Answer 7

Channels within hollow organs / tissues and is filled with fluid.

Question 8

What does the epithelial lumen cover?

Answer 8

Respiratory tract / gut / urinary tract / reproductive tract / sweet ducts.

Question 9

What does the endothelial lumen cover?

Answer 9

Heart / Blood Vessels / Lymphatic.

Question 10

What is the purpose of the Lymphatic Cell System?

Answer 10

Moving fluid which does not have any cells in it.

Question 11

List all the fluids within the body compartments and the percentages for the body compartments.

Answer 11

Intracellular Fluid = 67% (28 LITRES)
Interstitial Fluid = 26% (11 LITRES)
Plasma + Other fluids = 7% (3 LITRES)

Question 12

What does extracellular fluid contain?

Answer 12

Interstitial Fluid
Plasma
Other fluid

Question 13

What is the serous membrane?

Answer 13

It is a membrane which cushions the organs / lines all the cavities.

Question 14

Name the order the barriers are in between compartments.

Answer 14

Lumen
Epithelium
Endothelium
Cavity 
Organ 
Cell (lipid membrane covers the cell)
*everything is lined by the serous membrane*

Question 15

What are the 3 main types of epithelium?

Answer 15

Squamous (flat + tough)
Cuboidal (cuboid shaped)
Columnar (tall + thin)

Question 16

What is the difference between simple and stratified epithelium?

Answer 16

Simple Epithelium = There is one layer of cells.

Stratified Epithelium = There is multiple layers of cells.

Question 17

What are the three methods used for movement of drugs across the epithelium or endothelium?

Answer 17

Paracellular
Transcellular
Intracellular

Question 18

What does paracellular movement mean?

Answer 18

The transfer of substances across an epithelium by passing through the intercellular space BETWEEN the cells.

Question 19

What does transcellular movement mean?

Answer 19

The substances travel THROUGH the cell, passing through both the apical membrane and basolateral membrane.

Question 20

What are intracellular junctions?

Answer 20

Specialised regions of contact between the plasma membranes of adjacent cells.

Question 21

Name three ways movement of drugs across cell membranes occurs.

Answer 21

• Diffusion through lipid bilayers
• Active Transport
• Pinocytosis (pinocytosis = big molecules ONLY)