Kirkpatrick, J. P. and Dewhirst, M. W. Analytic Solution to Steady-State Radial Diffusion of a Substrate with First-Order Reaction in the Tissue of a Krogh's Cylinder. Radiat. Res. 169, 350–354 (2008).
It is often useful to calculate the concentration profile for a substrate undergoing reaction in the tissue surrounding a capillary. In this paper, we consider a model geometry consisting of a long straight cylinder of tissue surrounding a capillary. Substrate diffuses radially out of the capillary through the tissue, with consumption of substrate in the tissue directly proportional to substrate concentration (i.e., first-order reaction kinetics). The model is extended to include the case where a cylinder of necrotic tissue surrounds a metabolically active inner tissue cylinder. A simple analytic solution is derived, and concentration profiles are generated for various combinations of parameters. Compared to the case where substrate consumption is independent of concentration, this model predicts much more rapid depletion of substrate near the capillary interface. This can have significant implications for the calculation of the hypoxic fraction (e.g., tissue with pO2 <0.5–5 mmHg) when tumor oxygenation is modeled. The model also permits calculation of the limiting substrate concentration for cell viability when the reaction rate constant is known and vice versa.
