The effect of dextran solution on pulmonary plasma-lymph barrier in awake sheep.

We investigated the effect of dextran solution on lung lymph flow in awake sheep with chronic lung lymph fistulas. Ten percent of dextran (molecular weight 40,000) solution or normal saline were infused at 1000 ml/h for 2 h through left atrial catheter. We measured pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa), left atrial pressure (Pla), aortic pressure (Psa), cardiac output (CO), oncotic pressures of both plasma (IImv) and lung lymph (IIpmv), lung lymph flow rate (Qlym), and lymph-to-plasma ratio of total protein (L/P). Infusion of dextran solution caused significant increases in Ppa, Pla and CO and decrease in plasma-lung lymph oncotic pressure gradient (IImv-IIpmv), without changes in L/P. Infusion of normal saline caused significant increases in Ppa and Pla and no changes in IImv-IIpmv and CO, and slight decrease in L/P. The calculated filtration coefficients increased by 2.2 fold after dextran infusion and 1.7 fold after normal saline infusion. Moreover, an apparent increase in protein transport across microvessels as evidenced by the normal L/P despite increases in hydrostatic pressure occurred after dextran solution infusion. These results suggest that dextran solution may increase permeability of microvascular wall, as well as effective net pressure gradient across microvessels, both of which result in a large net fluid filtration from microvessels to perimicrovascular compartment.