Articles

PERITONEAL FLUID IN THE RABBIT: PERMEABILITY OF THE MESOTHELIUM TO PROTEINS, LIPOPROTEINS AND ACID HYDROLASES

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Abstract

The peritoneal fluid in rabbits fed a normal and a cholesterol added diet was analysed for a wide variety of macromolecules of different size, viz albumin, α-, β- and y-globulins, high density lipoprotein and lipoproteins of S_f0-12, S_fl2-20 and S_f>20 and three acid hydrolases, N-acetyl—β-d-glucosaminidase, acid phosphatase and β-glucuronidase. The composition of the lipoproteins and the concentrations of each substance were compared with corresponding values in plasma, hepatic lymph, thoracic duct lymph and leg lymph. The results indicate that the large lipoproteins of the thoracic duct lymph derived from the intestinal mucosa do not normally enter the peritoneal cavity probably because they do not mix with the subserous tissue fluid, that the macromolecular composition of peritoneal fluid resembles that of leg lymph, that the peritoneal mesothelium is freely permeable to these macromolecules and that the main plasma: peritoneal fluid barrier resides in the blood capillary membrane of the various subserous tissues.

How to Cite:

Courtice, F. & Roberts, D., (1975) “PERITONEAL FLUID IN THE RABBIT: PERMEABILITY OF THE MESOTHELIUM TO PROTEINS, LIPOPROTEINS AND ACID HYDROLASES”, Lymphology 8(1), 1-10.