Effects of hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic fluids on thoracic duct lymph flow

To test whether whole-body lymph flow responses to vascular volume loading depend on osmolality, we measured left thoracic duct lymph flow rate and protein concentration, plasma protein concentration, plasma osmolality, hematocrit, and arterial and venous pressures in pentobarbital-anesthetized, acutely nephrectomized dogs. Hypo- (100 mosmol), iso- (309 mosmol), and hypertonic (600 mosmol) saline, isotonic lactated Ringer solution, and 5% glucose in lactated Ringer solution (580 mosmol) were infused into the jugular vein (20 ml/kg per infusion over 5 min at 30-min intervals). Changes in blood, interstitial, and cellular volumes were calculated from the infused volume and from the hematocrit and plasma osmolality. The hypotonic fluid increased lymph flow about half as much as the isotonic fluid, whereas the hypertonic fluids increased lymph flow about twice as much as the isotonic infusions. Responses appeared independent of the osmotic agent, because hypertonic NaCl was as effective as hypertonic glucose in increasing lymph flow. Responses were not altered appreciably after lowering arterial pressure by 25 mmHg. The major finding of this study is that for every condition we explored, the excess lymph flow over 30 min (ELF in ml X kg-1 X 30 min-1) correlated with the change in interstitial fluid volume (delta ISFV in ml/kg); ELF = 0.076 delta ISFV (r = 0.909). These data suggest that cellular fluid that enters the interstitium is equally effective in increasing thoracic duct lymph flow as is vascular fluid that filters into the interstitium.