Postinflammatory increase of absorption from peritoneal cavity into lymph nodes: particulate and oily inocula

One week after intraperitoneal injection of rats and mice with a chemical irritant, the abdominal cavity was in the healing phase of a sterile peritonitis. At this time, mineral oil or a particulate dye or metal injected intraperitoneally was absorbed into lymph nodes in much larger amounts than normal. Absorption of oil caused fourfold enlargement of nodes, distention of afferent lymphatics, and sometimes widespread oil embolization of lungs. Absorption was increased when the chemical irritant had bathed the entire peritoneum but not when it was limited to the lower abdominal cavity. The chemical peritonitis caused shrinkage, agglutination, fixation, and fibrosis of the greater omentum which thereby lost its ability to sequester particles. In the absence of omental scavenging, dye, metal, or oil accumulated under the diaphragm and penetrated the diaphragmatic lymphatics. In addition, enhanced absorption by proliferated subdiaphragmatic lymphatics may have been involved. Prior induction of a chemical peritonitis augments absorption into the lymphatics of certain aqueous and cellular as well as particulate and oily inocula, so it is likely to find many applications in experimental pathology.