Flow conductivity of rat dermis is determined by hydration.

The flow rate of phosphate buffered saline through dermis was measured as a function of applied pressure. Hyaluronan and collagen, the two principal materials which confirm resistance to flow in dermis, were not lost from the tissue during the experiments which lasted up to two days. From Darcy's Law, the average flow conductivities were 2 to 6 x 10(-12) cm4/dyn x s and decreased with increasing applied pressure. We conclude that the tissue is compacted in proportion to the applied pressure during the flow experiments. The hydraulic flow conductivity is described mathematically as a function of compaction induced by the applied pressure.