AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 248, Issue 6 670-G675, Copyright © 1985 by American Physiological Society
Lymph flow, lymph protein concentration, and protein output from rat small intestine
J. S. Lee
Lymph flow (JL), lymph protein concentration (CL), and protein output (JP)
from the main intestinal lymph duct were determined. The basal JL from the
mesenteric pedicle alone was the same as that from the mesenteric pedicle
attached with a segment of the nonabsorbing intestine, indicating that the
basal JL does not originate from the intestine but is totally from the
region of the mesenteric pedicle. The basal CL was 3.5-3.8 g/100 ml. When
the intestine was absorbing water, JL increased and CL decreased, but JP
increased above the basal JP in the initial 20 min of water absorption and
then decreased progressively with time. Furthermore, it was estimated that
CL in the "excess lymph" (formed during water absorption) was 1.4 +/- 0.2
g/100 ml in the initial 10 min of water absorption and was zero or nearly
so in the later periods. From this and other evidence, it is concluded that
under various conditions without net water absorption rat small intestine
does not produce lymph and that during water absorption there is no
significant increase in capillary permeability or capillary filtration.
Therefore, the excess lymph could be mostly derived from the fluid absorbed
from the lumen of the intestine.
