Hydrodynamic effects on the solute transport across endothelial pores and hepatocyte membranes.

In this short note we propose a simple and rapid procedure to calculate the net quantity of metabolites absorbed by hepatocytes from blood plasma. The blood movement through sinusoids determines an opposed circulation of plasma through the space of Disse. Hydrodynamic considerations lead to the conclusion that hepatocytes absorb for their own synthesis processes a quantity of metabolites in a volume flow of the order of 10(-12) nl s(-1) through a sieve plate surface with an area of 1 microm2. At pathological temperature (40 degrees C), the excess of the net absorbed volume flow for the entire sinusoidal surface of the mammalian liver may be as high as 1.9 nl s(-1). Some observations on the effect of red and white blood cells on the chylomicron traffic through endothelial pores are made.