The Influence of Inflammation on the Absorption of Substances of Varied Diffusibility

Abstract

It has long been recognized that diffusible substances are absorbed from the tissues by direct entrance into the blood vessels. Dandy and Rowntree (1) made a quantitative study of absorption from the peritoneum. They found that when the diffusible dye, phenol red, is injected intraperitoneally, 40 to 60 per cent is excreted in the urine during the first hour after injection, while less than 0.1 per cent enters the thoracic lymph during this time. On the other hand, colloidal solutions and particles in suspension depend largely on the lymphatic system for absorption. Lewis (2) injected horse serum subcutaneously into a dog; using the complement fixation reaction, he was able to detect horse protein in the thoracic lymph 40 minutes after injection, while only after 3 hours did any protein appear in the blood. Drinker and Field (3) also found that horse serum is absorbed largely by way of the lymphatics. However, it should be mentioned that certain more diffusible colloidal solutions may enter the blood vessels directly. Bolton (4) found that the absorption of colloidal dyes of relatively small molecular dimensions is accomplished both by the vascular and by the lymphatic systems, but these colloidal dyes diffused into the blood more slowly than crystaUoids.Previous studies of the removal of substances from inflamed areas have dealt largely with the dissemination of bacteria. Noetzel (5) and Pawlowsky (6) found that when bacteria are injected into a joint they soon appear in the blood stream, but if the bacterial injections were made into a joint which had previously been treated by the injection of a sterile irritant, the dissemination of the bacteria was greatly inhibited. Hoehne (7) and Opie (8) found that if bacteria are injected into an inflamed peritoneal cavity, their entrance into the blood stream may be partially or completely inhibited.Interest in the absorption of soluble substances from inflamed areas was aroused by the experiments of Opie on the Arthus phenomenon. Opie (9) demonstrated that when protein is injected into the skin of a specifically immunized animal, it remains at the site of injection, where contact of antigen and antibody produce an * This paper is part of a

Effects of subcutaneous calcium administration at calving on mineral status, health, and production of Holstein cows

“…The ability of 1SC 500 to sustain normocalcemic levels with a single injection through a longer period of time, but no 1SC 250 could likely be associated with not only the amount of Ca infused but also by the volume and irritant nature of the Ca solution. It has been shown that inflammation of subcutaneous tissues after infusion delays absorption (Miller, 1938). Although injection site lesions were minimized by using Ca solutions without glucose and limiting the dose to 50 mL per site, most likely there was some degree of s.c. tissue inflammation after infusion (Daitoku et al, 2007).…”