Optimal villi density for maximal oxygen uptake in the human placenta

Abstract

We present a stream-tube model of oxygen exchange inside a human placenta functional unit (a placentone). The effect of villi density on oxygen transfer efficiency is assessed by numerically solving the diffusion-convection equation in a 2D+1D geometry for a wide range of villi densities. For each set of physiological parameters, we observe the existence of an optimal villi density providing a maximal oxygen uptake as a trade-off between the incoming oxygen flow and the absorbing villus surface. The predicted optimal villi density $0.47\pm 0.06$ is compatible to previous experimental measurements. Several other ways to experimentally validate the model are also proposed. The proposed stream-tube model can serve as a basis for analyzing the efficiency of human placentas, detecting possible pathologies and diagnosing placental health risks for newborns by using routine histology sections collected after birth.

References in corpus (1)

• Optimal villi density for maximal oxygen uptake in the human placenta

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Image-Based Modeling of Blood Flow and Oxygen Transfer in Feto-Placental Capillaries
• Optimal villi density for maximal oxygen uptake in the human placenta
• Analytical theory of oxygen transfer in the human placenta
• Quantifying the impact of tissue metabolism on solute transport in feto-placental microvascular networks