2012/06/01 by Dorothee Günzel, Silke S. Zakrzewski, Thomas Schmid +5 · 32 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · Engineering · Neuroscience · #Biology #Biophysics #Capacitance #Chemistry #Dielectric spectroscopy #Electrical and Bioimpedance Tomography #Electrical engineering #Electrical impedance #Engineering #Materials science #Membrane #Neuroscience and Neural Engineering #Optoelectronics #Paracellular transport #Permeability (electromagnetism) #Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation #Tight junction #Transcellular
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06540.x
published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1257(1), 142-151 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2012/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
In epithelia and endothelia, overall resistance (TER) is determined by all ion-conductive structures, such as membrane channels, tight junctions, and the intercellular space, whereas the epithelial capacitance is due to the hydrophobic phase of the plasma membrane. Impedance means alternating current resistance and, in contrast to ohmic resistance, takes into account that, e.g., capacitors become increasingly conductive with increasing frequency. Impedance spectroscopy uses the association of the capacitance with the transcellular pathway to distinguish between this capacitive pathway and purely conductive components (tight junctions, subepithelium). In detail, one-path impedance spectroscopy distinguishes the resistance of the epithelium from the resistance of subepithelial tissues. Beyond that, two-path impedance spectroscopy allows for the separation of paracellular resistance (governed by tight junctional properties) from transcellular resistance (determined by conductive structures residing in the cell membranes). The present paper reviews the basic principles of these techniques, some historic milestones, as well as recent developments in epithelial physiology.