Pristane retards clearance of particulate materials from the peritoneal cavity of laboratory mice

The effect of intraperitoneal pristane on the movement of India ink particles and water-based radio-opaque dye injected into the peritoneal cavity of mice was examined. There was a marked difference between pristane-treated mice and unmanipulated controls in terms of particle retention; unmanipulated mice cleared India ink particles via lymphatic drainage within 24 h following injection, whereas pristane-treated mice retained particles for as long as 22 days post-injection. In contrast, all mice displayed similar kinetics of removal of radio-opaque dye. We conclude that the movement of particulate matter from the peritoneal cavity is retarded in pristane-treated mice whereas removal of water-based materials is unaffected. The implications for generation of ascites using hybridoma cells in pristane-primed mice is discussed.