LYMPHATIC AND VENOUS TRANSPORT OF COLLOIDS FROM THE TISSUES

Abstract

Colloid molecules injected into the tissues are absorbed both by lymphatic and blood capillaries. In dogs with cannulated thoracic duct, 94% of I¹³¹-albumin injected into the renal cortex was recovered within 1 min in renal venous blood, after 5 min, 90% of Cr⁵¹ labelled blood corpuscles was found in circulating blood. In 6 hours, 5.4 ± 1. 7% of albumin and 11.1 ± 1.5 of Au¹⁹⁸ -colloid, (diam. 300-700 Å) injected into the myocardium is transported by the lymphatics, 35% of the albumin was found in circulating plasma and 8.6 ± 1.2 of the gold colloid was recovered in plasma and liver. From the pancreas, 7.2 ± 2.0% of the albumin and 7.0 ± 0.5% pf the gold colloid was transported by the lymphatics, and 12.3% (albumin} and 1.2 ± 0.4% (Au ^198-coIL) by blood capillaries. Lymphatic transport of the gold colloid from the intestinal wall was 15.9 ± 1.9% recovery in liver and plasma 1.4 ± 0.8%. From contracting skeletal muscle, lymphatic transport of albumin was 40.1 ± 3.5% and of gold colloid 4.6 ± 0.72%. Recovery of albumin in circulating plasma was 3.7% of gold colloid in plasma and liver 0.5 ± 0.1%. From the subcutis, 21.6 ± 6.2% of albumin is transported by lymphatics, 11% by blood capillaries. Tissue pressure increased during injection but preinjection values were reestablished within 2 to 5 minutes. Accordingly, tissue pressure changes do not play a dominant role in colloid absorption.