MOVEMENT OF

SUBSTANCES
BETWEEN BODY FLUID
COMPARTMENTS

DR. P. HAMAMBULU
Transport across capillaries

 The capillary wall separates plasma from interstitial fluid.

 Substance exchange between blood plasma and interstitial
fluid is through endothelial wall of the capillaries
 Various substances diffuse into interstitial fluid from blood
plasma while others diffuse from interstitial fluid into
plasma
Transport across capillaries

 Examples substances transported from plasma into

interstitial fluid include nutrients(glucose, amino acids, fatty
acids), electrolytes(Na⁺,K⁺,Cl⁻,Ca²⁺ e.t.c),hormones and
gases mainly Oxygen
 Examples of substances transported from interstitial fluid
into blood plasma are various metabolic products e.g.
water, urea, CO₂ and various electrolytes
Transport across capillaries

 Capillary wall is a thin membrane made up of endothelial

cells
 Substances pass through the junctions between endothelial
cells and through fenestrations when they are present.
 Some also pass through the cells by vesicular transport
 The factors other than vesicular transport that are
responsible for transport across the capillary wall are
diffusion and filtration
Transport across capillaries

 Diffusion is the movement of substances from higher

concentration to lower concentration i.e. down their
concentration gradient.
 Filtration is the process by which fluid is forced through a
membrane or other barrier because of a difference in
pressure on the two sides.
Forces producing movements of substances
between compartments
 There are four forces that influence movement of fluid
between plasma and interstitial fluid
(a) Capillary (hydrostatic) pressure (Pc)
(b)Interstitial fluid (hydrostatic) pressure(Pi)
(c)Plasma oncotic pressure(∏c)
(d)Interstitial fluid oncotic pressure(∏i)
 Oncotic pressure is also called colloid osmotic pressure
Forces producing movement of
substances between compartments
 Capillary (hydrostatic) pressure (Pc) is the pressure of blood
fluid against capillary walls
 Capillary pressure tend to force fluid from capillaries into
the interstitial spaces
 Interstitial fluid (hydrostatic) pressure(Pi) is of interstitial
fluid against capillary wall
 Interstitial fluid pressure tend to force fluid from interstitial
spaces into the capillaries
Forces producing movement of
substances between compartments
 Plasma oncotic pressure(∏c) is that force which tends to
force water into the plasma by osmosis due to plasma
proteins in the plasma
 Interstitial fluid oncotic pressure(∏i) which is due to
presence of proteins in interstitium tends to cause osmosis
outward through the capillary membrane into interstitium
Forces producing movement of
substances between compartments
 The rate of filtration at any point along a capillary depends
on a balance the above forces sometimes called the Starling
forces i.e. hydrostatic pressure gradient and osmotic
pressure gradient
 The difference between the hydrostatic pressure in the
capillary and the hydrostatic pressure of the interstitial fluid
is called hydrostatic pressure gradient
 The difference between the colloid osmotic pressure of
plasma and colloid osmotic pressure of interstitial fluid is
called osmotic pressure gradient
Forces producing movement of
substances between compartments
Fluid movement = k[(Pc– Pi) – (πc– πi)]

Where, k= capillary filtration coefficient

Pc = capillary hydrostatic pressure
Pi = interstitial hydrostatic pressure
πc = capillary colloid osmotic pressure
πi = interstitial colloid osmotic pressure
 The capillary filtration coefficient (k) takes into account, and is
proportional to, the permeability of the capillary wall and the area
available for filtration
Forces producing movement of
substances between compartments
 The lymphatic system provides a route for the transport of
fluids and protein away from the interstitium
 System of fine lymphatic channels throughout the body
passing via lymph nodes to thoracic duct
 Valves ensure one-way flow
Oedema

 Defined as increased volume of interstitial fluid in a tissue

or organ
 May be localised or generalised (systemic)
 Causes of edema include;
(i)Raised capillary pressure
(ii)Reduced oncotic pressure
(iii)Endothelial damage (inflammation)
(iv)Impaired lymphatic drainage
(i)Raised Capillary Pressure

 Cardiac failure

 right ventricular failure - systemic

oedema
 left ventricular failure -
pulmonary oedema
 congestive cardiac failure - both
 Local venous obstruction

 deep vein thrombosis

 external compression
(ii)Reduced oncotic pressure

 Renal disease

 loss of albumin across glomerulus

 Hepatic disease

 inadequate albumin synthesis

 Malnutrition

 inadequate albumin synthesis

Lymphatic obstraction

 Renal disease

 loss of albumin across glomerulus

 Hepatic disease

 inadequate albumin synthesis

 Malnutrition

 inadequate albumin synthesis

Ascites and generalized edema
END!