Cell cultures as models for drug absorption across the intestinal mucosa.

This review deals with cell culture models for studies of drug absorption across the intestinal mucosa. The selection of appropriate cells and cell culture conditions is discussed, guidelines for the characterization of the cell models are presented, and the intestinal barriers to drug absorption are discussed and compared with those in the cell culture models. Finally, recent applications of the cell culture models in drug and peptide absorption and metabolism studies are reviewed.