Transcapillary passage of albumin, effects of tissue cooling and of increases in filtration and plasma colloid osmotic pressure.

'Initial' clearance of radiolabelled serum albumin was measured in the perfused, maximally vasodilated muscle vascular bed of rat hindquarters during tissue cooling, during increases in filtration and during changes in serum colloid osmotic pressure. Albumin clearance during ordinary serum perfusion at isogravimetry amounted to 0.03 ml/min times 100 g, increasing linearly with filtration rate to some 0.07 ml/min times 100 g at 0.5 ml/min times 100 g of filtration. During cooling from 36 degrees C to 14 degrees C both CFC and initial albumin clearance at isogravimetry decreased some 40%, in due proportion to the increased viscosity of the fluid. Increases of the colloid osmotic pressure of the perfusate correspondingly increased both the isogravimetric capillary pressure and 'initial' albumin clearance during isogravimetry.--It is concluded that even during isogravimetry the transmicrovascular albumin passage is to about 70 per cent due to filtration, and only some 30 per cent of transport at ordinary serum colloid osmotic pressure takes place by diffusion, both events presumably via 'large pores'. There was no evidence that transendothelial vesicular transport should to any significant extent contribute to the passage of albumin from vessels to tissue.