PERMEABILITY OF RENAL PERITUBULAR CAPILLARIES TO NEUTRAL DEXTRANS AND ENDOGENOUS ALBUMIN

Renal lymph-to-renal vein concentration ratios (CL/CV) for neutral dextrans (18-42 .ANG. effective radii) and endogenous serum albumin were measured in rats before and during acute volume expansion with isoncotic plasma or Ringer solution. Under all conditions studied, CL/CV decreased with increasing dextran size, in normal hydropenia falling from 0.93 .+-. 0.03 SE at 18 .ANG. to 0.24 .+-. 0.02 at 42 .ANG. (n = 12). Albumin (36 .ANG. radius) behaved in a manner similar to a 40 .ANG. dextran, CL/CV averaging 0.33 .+-. 0.03 (n = 12) in hydropenia. For all dextran sizes studied and for albumin, CL/CV decreased markedly during either form of volume expansion. Ringer loading produced significantly greater decreases in CL/CV for the larger dextrans and albumin than did plasma loading, and also resulted in much greater increases in renal lymph flow, while causing increases in whole kidney fluid reabsorption similar to those with plasma loading. With a compartmental model in which diffusion of dextrans and albumin from capillary lumen to interstitium is opposed by capillary uptake of tubule reabsorbate, these results are interpreted to indicate that convective reflection coefficients for dextrans with radii .gtoreq. 36 .ANG. and albumin are essentially equal to 1. Indirect evidence is therefore provided that albumin and the larger globulins exert their full osmotic pressures across the walls of peritubular capillaries.