Properties permitting the renal cortex to be the oxygen sensor for the release of erythropoietin: clinical...

The PO2 at this site where erythropoietin release is regulated should vary only when the hemoglobin concentration changes in capillary blood. The kidney cortex is an ideal location for this O2 sensor for four reasons. First, it extracts a small proportion of the oxygen that is delivered in each liter of blood; this makes the PO2 signal easier to recognize. Second, there is a constant ratio of the work performed (consumption of O2) to the renal blood flow rate (delivery of O2). Third, the high renal blood flow rate improves diffusion of O2 from capillaries to this O2 receptor. Fourth, a high renal cortical PCO2 prevents an additional shift of the O2:hemoglobin dissociation curve by other factors from being a confounding variable. This suggests that the GFR and the renal blood flow rate should be examined in patients with unexplained anemia or erythrocytosis.