Identification of microvascular transport pathways in skeletal muscle.

The solvent-drag reflection coefficient (sigma f) was measured from plasma disappearance (integral-mass balance method) for native albumin and four fluorescent solutes of radii from 2 to 16 nm in the isolated, plasma-perfused cat hindlimb preparation. The data for the smallest solutes were measured > 2 h after tracer addition and at high filtration rates to avoid underestimation of sigma f due to tracer diffusion. A two-pore model was fit (small-pore and large-pore radii, approximately 3.5 and 23 nm, respectively, 84% of hydraulic capacity in small pores) to these data using an objective computer-based estimation procedure. In the model, membrane sigma f was determined by flow weighting the sigma f values for the two pathways. Also, the phenomenon of volume circulation among the pathways was included. In different limbs, the permeability-surface area (PS) product was measured for the smallest solute, alpha-lactalbumin, from its perfusate-disappearance transient and a linear diffusion model. The PS value estimated was 0.11 +/- 0.026 (95% confidence limits) ml.min-1 times 100 g muscle-1. These PS values were found to be coincident with those predicted using parameter sets derived from the multiparameter 95% confidence space consistent with the two-pore model fits. The two-pore model also closely predicted PS data for small solutes from other studies in skeletal muscle; however, it failed to adequately describe small-molecule transport data from osmotic transient studies. It was necessary to add a water-exclusive pathway (40% of total hydraulic capacity) to account for these latter data; however, the predictions with this addition were still consistent with the data measured in the present study. We conclude that pore models can describe both macromolecular and small solute reflection coefficient and PS data in skeletal muscle.