Bidirectional peritoneal transport of immunoglobulin in rats: tissue concentration profiles

Protein transport occurs between the blood and the peritoneal cavity during clinical procedures, but events within the surrounding tissue space are poorly understood. We used quantitative autoradiography to examine the tissue concentration profiles of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in regions surrounding the peritoneal cavity. We have varied the route of administration (intravenous or intraperitoneal), the osmolality of the dialysis solution (isotonic or hypertonic), and the time of analysis (20 or 200 min). After intravenous injection, IgG profiles were relatively flat in most tissues and were not affected by time or osmolality. Concentrations corresponded to the capillary density in specific tissues. After intraperitoneal administration, the IgG tissue profiles were significantly steeper than after intravenous administration. The tissue concentrations increased with time but decreased when a hypertonic solution was substituted for an isotonic solution. Hypertonic dialysis causes a water flux into the cavity, which dilutes the contents but does not prevent penetration of protein into the surrounding tissue. Based on IgG movement in tissue during hypertonic dialysis, the peritoneum appears to function as a heterogeneous structure, which allows osmotically induced water transport into the cavity in some regions with simultaneous transport of hydrostatic pressure-driven water and solute flow from the cavity into the tissue in other regions.