Final answer:
Active glucose transport across gut epithelial cells requires the energy generated by ATP hydrolysis for the active transport of glucose against its concentration gradient.
Step-by-step explanation:
Active glucose transport across gut epithelial cells requires a process called active transport. In this process, glucose is transported against its concentration gradient from the lumen of the gut into the epithelial cells. To generate the necessary energy for this active transport, the cells use a carrier protein that binds both glucose and Na+ ions. The binding of glucose and Na+ ions allows the carrier protein to move into the cell, where glucose is released and diffuses into the blood. Na+ ions are then expelled out of the cell into the blood plasma, and this expulsion requires the hydrolysis of ATP by a Na+, K+, ATPase pump. Therefore, the driving force for active glucose transport is the energy generated by ATP hydrolysis.