26. Which of the following statements BEST explains how glucose is absorbed by intestinal epithelial cells and subsequently transported into the bloodstream?
(A) Glucose enters intestinal epithelial cells by passive diffusion across the apical membrane and is actively transported into the blood by GLUT2.
(B) Glucose uptake across the apical membrane occurs via facilitated diffusion through GLUT transporters, driven by a glucose concentration gradient.
(C) Glucose is transported into intestinal epithelial cells by secondary active transport coupled to the Na⁺ gradient at the apical membrane.
(D) Both apical and basolateral glucose transport in intestinal epithelial cells require direct ATP hydrolysis to move glucose against its concentration gradient.
(E) Glucose exits intestinal epithelial cells through the basolateral membrane by coupling to Na⁺ efflux generated by the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase, allowing GLUT2 to function as an ATP-driven transporter.