Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Factors Affecting Drug Distribution: Organ Perfusion Rate01:15

Factors Affecting Drug Distribution: Organ Perfusion Rate

Drug distribution within the body is a complex process influenced by several factors, including perfusion rate, the rate at which the bloodstream transports drugs to tissue. This limitation becomes particularly significant when dealing with highly lipophilic drugs. In such cases, the rate at which the drug can move across membranes is crucial, and if the membrane is highly permeable to the drug, distribution becomes rate-limited by perfusion.
Perfusion rate-limited distribution relies on the...
Assessment of Diffusion and Perfusion01:17

Assessment of Diffusion and Perfusion

Understanding and evaluating diffusion and perfusion is critical in assessing a patient's respiratory and circulatory health. These processes play key roles in maintaining the body's internal environment, ensuring that tissues receive adequate oxygen while waste products are efficiently removed.
The Role of Diffusion in Respiration
Diffusion is the process by which molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. In the respiratory system, this principle...
Compartment Models: Two-Compartment Model01:20

Compartment Models: Two-Compartment Model

The two-compartment model divides the body into central and peripheral compartments to account for varying blood perfusion rates among organs and tissues, affecting drug distribution. The central compartment includes blood and highly perfused tissues with rapid drug distribution, while the peripheral compartment contains tissues with slower drug distribution. After a single IV bolus dose, the drug concentration is high in plasma and low in tissues. The drug distribution between compartments...
Blood Flow01:29

Blood Flow

Blood is pumped by the heart into the aorta, the largest artery in the body, and then into increasingly smaller arteries, arterioles, and capillaries. The velocity of blood flow decreases with increased cross-sectional blood vessel area. As blood returns to the heart through venules and veins, its velocity increases. The movement of blood is encouraged by smooth muscle in the vessel walls, the movement of skeletal muscle surrounding the vessels, and one-way valves that prevent backflow.
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...
Physiological Pharmacokinetic Models: Blood Flow-Limited Versus Diffusion-Limited Models00:57

Physiological Pharmacokinetic Models: Blood Flow-Limited Versus Diffusion-Limited Models

Physiological pharmacokinetic models, often called flow-limited or perfusion models, typically assume a swift drug distribution between tissue and venous blood, creating a rapid drug equilibrium. This premise is based on the idea that drug diffusion is extremely fast, and the cell membrane presents no barrier to drug permeation. In this scenario, where no drug binding occurs, the drug concentration in the tissue equals that of the venous blood leaving the tissue. This greatly simplifies the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing for heart failure: pathophysiology and predictive markers.

Heart (British Cardiac Society)·2022
Same author

In vivo mitochondrial ATP production is improved in older adult skeletal muscle after a single dose of elamipretide in a randomized trial.

PloS one·2021
Same author

Leading Change and Negotiation Strategies for Division Leaders in Clinical Medicine.

Chest·2019
Same author

True and True, but Not Causally Related.

American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine·2016
Same author

Comparative Risks of Aldehyde Constituents in Cigarette Smoke Using Transient Computational Fluid Dynamics/Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Models of the Rat and Human Respiratory Tracts.

Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology·2015
Same author

Dead space: the physiology of wasted ventilation.

The European respiratory journal·2014
Same journal

SLIT-ROBO Signaling in Diabetes: A Dual Regulator of Angiogenesis and Vascular Dysfunction.

Comprehensive Physiology·2026
Same journal

Heart-Specific Spinal and Vagal Afferents: Transcriptomic Signatures and Optogenetically Modulated Functional Coupling With Cardiomyocytes.

Comprehensive Physiology·2026
Same journal

The Adipose-Organ Communication Network in Clinical Obesity: From Adiposopathy to Systemic Metabolic Failure.

Comprehensive Physiology·2026
Same journal

Insight Into the Biological Link Between Novel Adiposity Indices and Incident Heart Failure.

Comprehensive Physiology·2026
Same journal

Domino Effect of the Kynurenine Pathway: Systemic Homeostasis, Metabolic Crosstalk, and Therapeutic Potential.

Comprehensive Physiology·2026
Same journal

Lung Pericytes: Molecular Mechanisms, Signaling Pathways, and Roles in Pulmonary Diseases.

Comprehensive Physiology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

An Open-Source Normothermic Perfusion System Designed for Research Scientists
11:23

An Open-Source Normothermic Perfusion System Designed for Research Scientists

Published on: July 18, 2025

Distribution of perfusion.

Robb Glenny1, H Thomas Robertson

  • 1Departments of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. glenny@u.washington.edu

Comprehensive Physiology
|June 6, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Lung perfusion distribution is governed by local vascular factors, gravity, and pressures. Hypoxic vasoconstriction also plays a role, with all factors dynamically interacting to influence blood flow across the entire lung.

More Related Videos

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quantification of Pulmonary Perfusion using Calibrated Arterial Spin Labeling
12:29

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quantification of Pulmonary Perfusion using Calibrated Arterial Spin Labeling

Published on: May 30, 2011

Multi-Stream Perfusion Bioreactor Integrated with Outlet Fractionation for Dynamic Cell Culture
10:00

Multi-Stream Perfusion Bioreactor Integrated with Outlet Fractionation for Dynamic Cell Culture

Published on: July 20, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

An Open-Source Normothermic Perfusion System Designed for Research Scientists
11:23

An Open-Source Normothermic Perfusion System Designed for Research Scientists

Published on: July 18, 2025

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quantification of Pulmonary Perfusion using Calibrated Arterial Spin Labeling
12:29

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quantification of Pulmonary Perfusion using Calibrated Arterial Spin Labeling

Published on: May 30, 2011

Multi-Stream Perfusion Bioreactor Integrated with Outlet Fractionation for Dynamic Cell Culture
10:00

Multi-Stream Perfusion Bioreactor Integrated with Outlet Fractionation for Dynamic Cell Culture

Published on: July 20, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonary physiology
  • Cardiovascular research
  • Respiratory medicine

Background:

  • Pulmonary perfusion distribution is unique due to hydrostatic and alveolar pressures.
  • The lung's vertical height and low pulmonary circulation pressures amplify these effects.
  • Both passive (vascular geometry, hydrostatic pressure) and active (hypoxic vasoconstriction) mechanisms influence blood flow.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the determinants of regional lung perfusion.
  • To focus on vascular geometry, gravitational effects, pressure interactions, and hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction.
  • To highlight the dynamic and interactive nature of these determinants.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on pulmonary hemodynamics and regional perfusion.
  • Analysis of factors influencing blood flow distribution in the lung.
  • Discussion of passive and active regulatory mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Regional lung perfusion is determined by local vascular resistance, hydrostatic pressure, and alveolar pressure.
  • Gravity creates significant vertical gradients in pulmonary blood flow.
  • Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction actively redistributes blood flow.
  • All determinants interact dynamically, affecting blood flow distribution across the lung.

Conclusions:

  • Lung perfusion is a complex interplay of passive and active factors.
  • Understanding these determinants is crucial for respiratory and cardiovascular health.
  • Changes in one region's perfusion dynamically impact other lung areas.