Intestinal filtration-secretion due to increased intraluminal pressure in rabbits

The mechanism of changes in small intestinal transport due to acutely increased intraluminal hydrostatic pressure (IHP) was investigated in detail using perfused in vivo rabbit intestinal segments. IHP affected passive transport in vivo by increasing effective mucosal surface area in the small intestine (indicated by 3HOH transport and tissue architectural changes) and increasing small intestinal permeability (indicated by a proportionately greater increase in mannitol than erythritol secretory clearance). IHP did not alter ileal blood flow rate measured by radioactive microspheres, despite grossly evident venous dilatation, or active intestinal transport in the ileum as measured by a) in vitro ion transport in the absence of elevated hydrostatic pressure, b) mucosal adenylate cyclase or Na-K-ATPase activities, and c) glucose-stimulated water and electrolyte absorption. Acutely increased IHP appears to influence the hydrodynamics of the mucosal microcirculation in the rabbit ileum to produce a driving force for passive filtration-secretion, which is associated with and possibly augmented by increased tissue permeability and effective surface area.