Effect of temperature on transcapillary water movement in isolated cat hindlimb

Capillary filtration coefficient (CFC) was measured in the isolated cat hindlimb preparation, perfused at 20 ml X min-1 X 100 g muscle-1 with a perfusate containing 6 g/dl albumin and normal electrolyte concentrations, to which were added 50 ml of the cat's blood and 6 micrograms of the vasodilator isoproterenol. CFC was determined three to six times in an initial control period during which the tissue temperature (measured by a 5-mm disk thermistor implanted in a thigh muscle) was controlled near 37 degrees C. Tissue temperature was decreased to 5-10 degrees C by lowering perfusate and ambient air temperatures. About 50 min were required for tissue temperature equilibration. CFC was measured at low temperature and then again at 37 degrees C. For nine experiments, the ratio of CFC at low temperature to that in the 37 degrees C control periods averaged 87% of the ratio of water viscosity at 37 degrees C to that at low temperature. The activation energy for water calculated from these data was 5.0 kcal/mol. These results may be explained by all transcapillary water flow moving by diffusion through narrow pores or by about 90% moving by convection, with the remainder going through a lipid pathway. However, the results may be entirely due to a direct effect of temperature on the geometry of the transcapillary pathway for water movement.