Simple multichannel system for the measurement of the net water flux across biological tissues

This paper describes the development of a simple system for measurement of net water movement through biological membrane barriers. The system is based on the detection of a water meniscus inside a polyethylene tube, which reflects the water movement inside one hemichamber of a modified Ussing chamber containing a membrane barrier. The detection device consists of a commercial computer-controlled flat bed scanner and specifically developed software. This system allows one to perform a relatively high number of individual experiments per physical unit. It is a flexible and affordable device, which allows comparatively more information per unit to be obtained than previously described methods.