Determination of endogenous ions in intercellular fluid using capillary ultrafiltration and microdialysis probes

Capillary ultrafiltration probes are novel sampling tools for continuously monitoring small molecules in the extracellular fluid of awake animals. Capillary ultrafiltration uses a vacuum applied to hydrophilic membrane fibres and extracts intercellular fluid and quantitatively recover many small hydrophilic molecules. The effects of continuously removing a small amount of fluid from the interstitial space are not known. The concentration of sodium, potassium, calcium and inorganic phosphorus were determined in the collected ultrafiltrates from subcutaneous tissue. These values were compared to literature values and to concentrations determined for the same animals using microdialysis. The concentrations of sodium, potassium, calcium and inorganic phosphorous were found to be 140 +/- 4, 3.7 +/- 0.1, 1.1 +/- 0.1 and 1.7 +/- 0.1 mM, respectively, in the subcutaneous ultrafiltrates obtained from rats. These corresponded very well with literature values and microdialysates, obtained, using pure water as the perfusate, in subcutaneous tissue. The concentration of sodium and potassium were determined to be 142 +/- 2 mM and 3.6 +/- 0.2 mM, respectively, for the dialysates. Hyperinsulinemic-induced decrease in intercellular potassium levels under a euglycemic clamp were monitored using capillary ultrafiltration probes in rats to further validate this technique for monitoring small molecule dynamics in the intercellular space. The intercellular level of potassium in rats decreased from 3.6 +/- 0.5 to 2.6 +/- 0.3 mM after an acute dose of pork insulin.