Estimation of capillary reflection coefficients and unique PS products in dog paw.

Lymphatic protein flux (Js) obtained in canine hindpaws at low lymph flows were used to determine the capillary osmotic reflection coefficients (sigma d) and unique permeability surface area (PS) products for total proteins, albumin, immunoglobulin (Ig)G, and IgM. This new analysis is based on the phenomenon that when maximal diffusion occurs across the capillary membrane, the Peclet number [x = Jv(1 - sigma d)/PS] attains a unique value defined only by sigma d. The diffusive flux is maximal when the relationship between protein flux and transcapillary fluid flux (Jv) changes from a curvilinear to a linear relationship. The slope of the linear portion of this protein flux relationship was used to determine sigma d as (1 - sigma d) = delta Js/(delta JvCp), where Cp is the plasma protein concentration. With the use of sigma d, the Jv at which the maximal diffusion occurred, and the corresponding Peclet number, a unique value is obtained for the PS product. Experiments performed using lymph from canine hindpaws (n = 6) yielded sigma d's (mean +/- SD) of 0.91 +/- 0.03, 0.83 +/- 0.11, 0.96 +/- 0.03, and virtually 1 for total protein, albumin, IgG, and IgM, respectively. The corresponding PS products for total protein, albumin, and IgG were 25.0 +/- 13.2, 28.4 +/- 6.6, and 14.0 +/- 7.9 microliters.min-1.100 g-1, respectively; PS for IgM was almost zero.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)