Model analyses of capillary growth and tissue oxygenation during hypoxia

Theoretical analyses were used to determine whether capillary growth is an adaptive response to hypoxia. Parameter values were obtained from models of transverse sections of muscles in which individual fibers were distributed in square-ordered arrays and capillaries were added to the perimeters of individual fibers in the arrays. Increasing the number of capillaries up to 2.0 per fiber increased hypoxic tolerance by 157% above that expected for a Krogh cylinder. However, increasing the number of capillaries from 2.0 to 4.0 per fiber increased hypoxic tolerance by only 18% and, assuming the entire perimeter of each fiber was perfused with blood, increased hypoxic tolerance by only 11% over the value obtained when capillary-to-fiber ratio was 4.0. Capillary growth during normal maturation may result in capillary-to-fiber ratios around 2.0, near the upper limit for producing marked changes in hypoxic tolerance. Therefore, capillary growth may not be an adaptive response to ambient hypoxia because there is little or no gas transport benefit derived from the additional capillaries.