Blood transit and recirculation kinetics of lymphocyte subsets in normal rats.

Thoracic duct lymphocytes (TDL) were labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and injected into normal, unanaesthetized rats with either a central venous catheter or a thoracic duct cannula. The blood transit time and the appearance in the lymph was calculated and then the percentages of B, T, T helper, and T suppressor lymphocytes were determined with monoclonal antibodies (Ox12, Ox19, W3/25, and Ox8, respectively). The blood transit time of all subsets was about 30 min. However, the percentage of B lymphocytes from 5 min after injection onwards is reduced (14.5 +/- 1.9%) compared to the injected TDL (32.7 +/- 1.7%). These cells are not in the lung vascular pool. The recovery of FITC-labelled TDL in the thoracic duct within 48 h is much higher (56.8 +/- 5.3% of the injected lymphocytes) than in previous studies using radioactive markers. B lymphocytes appear later and in a reduced number in the thoracic duct. The mean transit time is 26 h and the recovery 31.5 +/- 4.2% in contrast to T lymphocytes (18 h and 66.3 +/- 6.5%, respectively). The technique of combining FITC in vitro labelling with surface staining after completion of migration does not interfere with lymphocyte migration. It can therefore be used to study the migration of lymphocyte subsets in normal, untreated animals.