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Ussing Chamber Methods to Study the Esophageal Epithelial Barrier

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Permeability Barrier

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2367))

Abstract

The Ussing chamber was developed in 1949 by Hans Ussing and quickly became a powerful tool to study ion and solute transport in epithelia. The chamber has two compartments strictly separating the apical and basolateral sides of the tissue under study. The two sides of the tissue are connected via electrodes to a modified electrometer/pulse generator that allows measurement of electrical parameters, namely, transepithelial voltage, current, and resistance. Simultaneously, permeability of the tissue to specific solutes or markers can be monitored by using tracers or isotopes to measure transport from one side of the tissue to the other. In this chapter, we will describe the use of the Ussing chamber to study the barrier properties of the mouse esophageal epithelium. We will also briefly describe the use of the modified Ussing chamber to simultaneously study transepithelial and cellular electrophysiology in the rabbit esophageal epithelium. Lastly, we will cover the use of the Ussing chamber to study bicarbonate secretion in the pig esophagus. These examples highlight the versatility of the Ussing chamber technique in investigating the physiology and pathophysiology of epithelia including human biopsies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Medicine and Physiology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Solange M. Abdulnour-Nakhoul & Nazih L. Nakhoul

Authors
  1. Solange M. Abdulnour-Nakhoul
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  2. Nazih L. Nakhoul
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Correspondence to Solange M. Abdulnour-Nakhoul .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Kursad Turksen

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Abdulnour-Nakhoul, S.M., Nakhoul, N.L. (2020). Ussing Chamber Methods to Study the Esophageal Epithelial Barrier. In: Turksen, K. (eds) Permeability Barrier. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2367. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/7651_2020_324

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/7651_2020_324

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-1672-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-1673-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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