The effect of lymphatic oedema on the uptake of colloids to the lymph nodes.

The majority of pathological conditions of the lymphatic system can result in some degree of lymphoedema, which in turn causes a reduced rate of lymph flow. In some cases, such as when nodes are invaded by tumour metastases, blockage of the lymphatic vessels may occur. In order to investigate the effect of such pathology on nanosphere uptake in regional lymph nodes, the fate of model polystyrene nanospheres, surface modified with block co-polymers of the poloxamine series, was determined following subcutaneous administration in a rat model with lymphoedema (induced by the administration of lambda-carrageenan). A drastic reduction of injection site drainage and lymph node uptake of nanospheres was observed in the inflammation model compared to control animals. The observations suggest that biodegradable nanospheres based on these will be suitable for the detection of oedema in the lymphatic system.