Analysis of the optimality principles responsible for vascular network architectonics

TL;DR

This paper explores the principles behind vascular network design, demonstrating how Murray's law can be derived from biological optimization processes related to blood flow and vessel structure.

Contribution

It introduces an alternative modeling approach showing Murray's law as a consequence of the organism's blood flow regulation capabilities.

Findings

Murray's law can be derived from biological control of blood flow.

Two optimality principles for vascular design are discussed and compared.

A new model links vascular architecture to organismal blood flow regulation.

Abstract

The equivalence of two optimality principles leading to Murray's law has been discussed. The first approach is based on minimization of biological work needed for maintaining the blood flow through the vessels at required level. The second one is the principle of minimal drag and lumen volume. Characteristic features of these principles are considered. An alternative approach leading to Murray's law has been proposed. For that we model the microcirculatory bed in terms of delivering vascular network with symmetrical bifurcation nodes, embedded uniformly into the cellular tissue. It was shown that Murray's law can be regarded as a direct consequence of the organism capacity for controlling the blood flow redistribution over the microcirculatory beds.