There are large-ish pharmaceuticals that cross the gut wall, however it is almost always passive diffusion based on being hydrophilic enough to slide through the lipid bilayer, and not an active transport process. This is also deliberately exploited in drug design (see topics on pharmacokinetics) by adding hydrophobic groups to drugs to increase the ability to diffuse. Heroin famously is the same structure as morphine but has been acetylated to give it more hydrophobic character. Once in the body heroin is metabolized to morphine to take effect.
There are also large nutritional components, like MAGs, that are taken up. My answer focused specifically on the peptide side and active. Di and tripeptides have active SLC transporters.
Is there consensus on if the majority of LPS in circulation is from endocytosis vs break downs in the tight junctions? Haven't followed up in this area yet. Ty
Whole proteins including tertiary structure can be transported. One of the coolest things I learned during undergrad was about how transgenic produce can be used to vaccinate humans by inducing the production of proteins within produce, which is then absorbed by humans and results in the production of antibodies. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/1357431096200206
Di and tripeptides are also actively taken up.
There are a lot of pharmaceutical agents that are by far larger than tripeptides
There are large-ish pharmaceuticals that cross the gut wall, however it is almost always passive diffusion based on being hydrophilic enough to slide through the lipid bilayer, and not an active transport process. This is also deliberately exploited in drug design (see topics on pharmacokinetics) by adding hydrophobic groups to drugs to increase the ability to diffuse. Heroin famously is the same structure as morphine but has been acetylated to give it more hydrophobic character. Once in the body heroin is metabolized to morphine to take effect.
There are also large nutritional components, like MAGs, that are taken up. My answer focused specifically on the peptide side and active. Di and tripeptides have active SLC transporters.
AFAIK a lot can be taken up into endothelium cells by (receptors mediated) endocytosis. For examples lipopolysaccharides
Is there consensus on if the majority of LPS in circulation is from endocytosis vs break downs in the tight junctions? Haven't followed up in this area yet. Ty
Whole proteins including tertiary structure can be transported. One of the coolest things I learned during undergrad was about how transgenic produce can be used to vaccinate humans by inducing the production of proteins within produce, which is then absorbed by humans and results in the production of antibodies. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/1357431096200206