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Related Concept Videos

Diffusion01:21

Diffusion

Diffusion is a type of passive transport. In passive transport, a substance tends to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until the concentration is equal across the space. For example, take the diffusion of substances through the air. When someone opens a perfume bottle in a room filled with people, the perfume is at its highest concentration in the bottle and is at its lowest at the edges of the room. The perfume vapor will diffuse, or spread away, from the...
Diffusion01:12

Diffusion

Diffusion is the passive movement of substances down their concentration gradients—requiring no expenditure of cellular energy. Substances, such as molecules or ions, diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration in the cytosol or across membranes. Eventually, the concentration will even out, with the substance moving randomly but causing no net change in concentration. Such a state is called dynamic equilibrium, which is essential for maintaining overall...
Passive Diffusion: Overview and Kinetics01:17

Passive Diffusion: Overview and Kinetics

Passive diffusion is a critical process that allows small lipophilic drugs to cross the cell membrane along a concentration gradient. This mechanism's efficiency depends on four primary factors: the membrane's surface area, the drug's lipid-water partition coefficient, the concentration gradient, and the membrane's thickness.
When administered orally, drugs establish a substantial concentration gradient between the gastrointestinal (GI) lumen and the bloodstream, expediting their diffusion into...
Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion03:48

Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion

Although gaseous molecules travel at tremendous speeds (hundreds of meters per second), they collide with other gaseous molecules and travel in many different directions before reaching the desired target. At room temperature, a gaseous molecule will experience billions of collisions per second. The mean free path is the average distance a molecule travels between collisions. The mean free path increases with decreasing pressure; in general, the mean free path for a gaseous molecule will be...
External and Internal Respiration01:24

External and Internal Respiration

External respiration occurs in the lungs, and it is the first step in the journey of oxygen inside the body. When we inhale, oxygen enters our lungs and diffuses across the thin alveolar membrane. The alveoli are tiny, air-filled sacs that provide a vast surface area for gas exchange. Oxygen in the alveoli has a higher partial pressure (105 mmHg) than in the adjacent pulmonary capillaries (40 mmHg), establishing a pressure gradient. As a result, oxygen molecules move from the alveoli into the...
Drug Distribution: Overview01:11

Drug Distribution: Overview

Drug distribution within the body is a dynamic process involving the movement of a drug in two directions across various compartments: from the bloodstream into tissues (tissue uptake) and from tissues back into the bloodstream (tissue release or redistribution). This process is passive and primarily driven by two variables: the concentration gradient between the bloodstream and the extravascular tissues and the drug's ability to cross the cell membrane.
Initially, the free drug in the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

A Method for Determination and Simulation of Permeability and Diffusion in a 3D Tissue Model in a Membrane Insert System for Multi-well Plates
10:33

A Method for Determination and Simulation of Permeability and Diffusion in a 3D Tissue Model in a Membrane Insert System for Multi-well Plates

Published on: February 23, 2018

Diffusing capacity.

Matthew J Hegewald1

  • 1Pulmonary Division, Intermountain Medical Center and the University of Utah, Murray, UT 84107, USA. matt.hegewald@intermountainmail.org

Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology
|March 31, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DL(CO)) test quantifies lung gas transfer, aiding diagnosis and management of various lung diseases like interstitial and obstructive lung conditions.

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Area of Science:

  • Pulmonary Medicine
  • Respiratory Physiology

Background:

  • The diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DL(CO)) is a key pulmonary function test.
  • It measures gas transfer efficiency in the lungs.
  • DL(CO) is crucial for diagnosing and managing diverse pulmonary disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a comprehensive overview of the DL(CO) test.
  • To discuss its physiological basis, methodology, and interpretation.
  • To highlight its clinical significance in respiratory medicine.

Main Methods:

  • Discussion of the physiological principles of gas diffusion.
  • Review of DL(CO) testing techniques and equipment.
  • Analysis of factors affecting DL(CO) variability.

Main Results:

  • DL(CO) provides a quantitative measure of lung gas exchange.
  • The test is valuable across interstitial, pulmonary vascular, and obstructive lung diseases.
  • Understanding variability factors is key for accurate interpretation.

Conclusions:

  • DL(CO) is an indispensable tool in respiratory diagnostics.
  • Accurate performance and interpretation enhance clinical utility.
  • It plays a vital role in patient management for numerous lung conditions.