The exit of lymphocytes and RBCs from the peritoneal cavity of sheep

The purpose of this study was to compare the exit rates and migration pathways of 51Cr-labeled lymphocytes from the peritoneal cavity into the blood with those of a non-motile cell population, 111In-RBCs, in order to determine whether lymphocytes actively migrate from the peritoneal cavity. Radiolabeled cells were infused into the peritoneal cavity and multiple samples of lymph draining from the peritoneal cavity and/or blood were obtained, then the animal was sacrificed and various tissues were harvested and assayed for radioactivity. The recovery of 51Cr-lymphocytes from the mesenteric nodes was not significantly different from that of nodes anatomically distant from the cavity, so it is unlikely that large numbers of lymphocytes migrate across the mesothelial lining of the cavity and into the mesenteric lymphatics. However, the caudal mediastinal node contained about 18-fold more 51Cr-lymphocytes and 473 times as many 111In-RBCs, confirming the importance of this node in the drainage of cells and fluid from the cavity. The hepatic node also appears to receive cells directly from the peritoneal cavity. We also calculated the recovery of labeled cells at the end of the experiment (T = 40 h), and found that the recovery of 51Cr-lymphocytes (3.87 +/- 1.29% ID) in the blood was much lower than that of 111In-RBCs (35.28 +/- 5.02% ID). This difference can be attributed mainly to the traffic of labeled lymphocytes out of the blood rather than the selective retention of lymphocytes within the peritoneal cavity. Cannulation of the caudal mediastinal efferent lymphatic and the thoracic duct, which drain the peritoneal cavity, revealed approximately a 3-fold higher cumulative recovery of 111In-RBCs than 51Cr-lymphocytes over 6 h. However, by 40 h the percentage of labeled RBCs and lymphocytes remaining in the cavity was not significantly different. While 51Cr-lymphocytes may leave the peritoneal cavity at a slower rate than 111In-RBCs, both cell populations appear to exit solely via lymphatic vessels.