Influence of shaking on peritoneal transfer in rats

Limitation of Small-Solute Exchange across the Visceral Peritoneum: Effects of Vibration

Objective

To evaluate the importance of the peritoneal membrane diffusion resistances to small solutes prevailing outside the capillaries in the visceral versus the parietal peritoneum during acute peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Design

Experimental study in anesthetized Wistar rats undergoing PD in a single exchange (120 min) using 1.36% Dianeal as dialysis fluid. Vibration, using a standard laboratory shaker at 10 Hz, was used to induce dialysate mixing and reduce the impact of “unstirred layers” in intact and eviscerated rats. Nonvibrated rats served as controls.

Measurements

The mass transfer area coefficient (PS) for chromium 51-ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (51 Cr-EDTA), continuously infused intravenously, the plasma-to -peritoneal clearance (CI→D) of radioiodinated (1251) serum albumin (human) (RISA), as well as the total clearance out of the peritoneal cavity (CI) of Evans blue labeled albumin, given as an intraperitoneal volume marker, and the portion of this C1 reaching the plasma per unit time (CI→P) were assessed.

Results

In intact rats there was a marked increase in PS for 51Cr -EDTA, from 0.297:I: 0.036 mL/min to 0.642 :I: 0.122 mL/min (n = 7, p < 0.01), and a moderate increase in CI and CI→D, from 37.6 :I: 1.3 μL/min to 63.3 :I: 9.0 μL/min and from 6.04 :I: 0.51μL/min to 9.54 :I: 0.93 μL/min (n = 7, p < 0.05), respectively, upon vibration. However, the plasma absorption clearance of albumin (CI→P) was unchanged after vibration. Furthermore, in eviscerated rats, vibration caused no significant changes in either of the exchange parameters measured.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the visceral peritoneal transport of small solutes is normally limited by the presence of diffusion resistances outside the capillaries, which may be markedly reduced by “stirring” of the dialysate by vibration. Normally, the parietal, rather than the visceral, peritoneum is the major site for small-solute mass transfer in stationary animals. However, the visceral peritoneum apparently becomes increasingly important after stirring. The moderate increases in transperitoneal clearances of macromolecules occurring upon vibration, which were quite unexpected, indicate that vibration may also increase the dialysatelperitoneal membrane contact and/ or cause some recruitment of capillaries.

Generalized Dilation of the Visceral Microvasculature by Peritoneal Dialysis Solutions

Objectives

Conventional peritoneal dialysis solutions are vasoactive. This vasoactivity is attributed to hyperosmolality and lactate buffer system. This study was conducted to determine if the vasodilator property of commercial peritoneal dialysis solutions is a global phenomenon across microvascular levels, or if this vasodilation property is localized to certain vessel types in the small intestine.

Design

Experimental study in a standard laboratory facility.

Interventions

Hemodynamics of anesthetized rats were monitored while the terminal ileum was prepared for in vivo intravital microscopy. Vascular reactivity of inflow arterioles (A1), branching (A2), and arcade, as well as pre-mucosal (A3) arterioles was assessed after suffusion of the terminal ileum with a non-vasoactive solution or a commercial 4.25% glucose-based solution (Delflex; Fresenius USA, Ogden, Utah, USA). Vascular reactivity of three different level venules was also assessed. Maximum dilation response was obtained from sequential applications of the endothelial-dependent dilator, acetylcholine (10–5 mol/L), and the endothelial-independent nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside (NTP; 10–4mol/L).

Results

Delflex induced an instant and sustained vasodilation that averaged 28.2% ± 2.4% of baseline diameter in five different-level arterioles, ranging in size between 7 μ and 100 μ. No significant vascular reactivity was observed in three different-level venules. Delflex increased intestinal A1 blood flow from baseline 568 ± 31 nL/second to 1049 ± 46 nL/sec ( F = 24.7, p < 0.001). Similarly, intestinal venous outflow increased to 435 ± 17 nL/sec from a baseline outflow of 253 ± 59 nL/sec ( F = 4.7, p < 0.05). Adjustment of the initial pH of Delflex from 5.5 to 7.4 resulted in similar microvascular responses before pH adjustment.

Conclusions

Ex vivo exposure of intestinal arterioles to conventional peritoneal dialysis solutions produces a sustained and generalized vasodilation. This vasoactivity is independent of arteriolar level and the pH of the solution. Dialysis solution-mediated vasodilation is associated with doubling of A1 intestinal arteriolar blood flow. Addition of NTP at an apparent clinical dose does not appear to produce any further significant arteriolar dilation than that induced by dialysis solution alone. Experimental data that estimate the exchange vessel surface area per unit volume of tissue will be required to make a correlation with permeability in order to extrapolate our findings to clinical in vivo conditions.

Effect of increased dialysate volume on peritoneal surface area among peritoneal dialysis patients

Large dialysate volumes are often required to increase solute clearance for peritoneal dialysis patients. The resulting increase in solute clearance might be attributable to an increased plasma-to-dialysate concentration gradient and/or to an increased effective peritoneal surface area. One of the factors affecting the latter is the peritoneal surface area in contact with dialysate (PSA-CD). The aim of this study was to estimate the change in PSA-CD after a 50% increase in the instilled dialysate volume for patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. PSA-CD was estimated by using a method applying stereologic techniques to computed tomographic (CT) scans of the peritoneal space. The peritoneal cavity of 10 peritoneal dialysis patients was filled with a solution containing dialysate, half-isotonic saline solution, and contrast medium. Peritoneal function tests and CT scanning of the abdomen were performed twice for each patient (with an interval of 1 wk), after instillation of a 2- or 3-L solution. Scanning of thin helical CT sections was performed, and 36 random sections of the abdomen were obtained after reconstruction. A grid was superimposed on the sections. The surface area was estimated by using stereologic methods. After instillation of the 2-L solution, the volume of the peritoneal solution at the time of CT scanning was 2.32 +/- 0.05 L. The PSA-CD was 0.57 +/- 0.03 m(2), ranging from 0.41 to 0.76 m(2). The use of the 3-L solution increased the peritoneal volume by 46 +/- 2%. PSA-CD increased by 18 +/- 2.3% to 0.67 +/- 0.04 m(2) (range, 0.49 to 0.84 m(2); P < 0.01). Creatinine mass transfer increased from 112 +/- 10 mg to 142 +/- 11 mg (P < 0.0001). The slope of the change of the plasma-to-dialysate creatinine concentration gradient with time decreased from -2.26 +/- 0.23 x 10(-2) to -1.97 +/- 0.16 x 10(-2) (P = 0.01). K(BD-0) (permeability-surface area product or mass area transfer coefficient at time 0 of the dwell) increased from 10.6 +/- 0.7 to 13.6 +/- 1.2 ml/min (P < 0.02). These data demonstrate that increasing the instilled dialysate volume by 50% for peritoneal dialysis patients results in significant increases in the PSA-CD and K(BD).

Increasing peritoneal contact area during dialysis improves mass transfer

Previous studies in mice demonstrated that relatively large volumes in the peritoneal cavity made contact with only 40% of the anatomic peritoneum and that this contact area (A(contact)) could be increased with use of a surfactant, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS). To investigate the hypothesis that mass transfer rates during peritoneal dialysis are dependent on the area of peritoneum in contact with the dialysis solution, rats were dialyzed for 2 h with a solution that contained (14)C-mannitol, with or without 0.02% DSS. The mass transfer-area coefficients (MTAC) were determined to be (mean +/- SEM, ml/min): no DSS, 0.163 +/- 0.008; with DSS, 0.247 +/- 0.006 (P < 0.002). DSS also caused an increase in total protein loss over 2 h (mean +/- SEM, mg): no DSS, 83.8 +/- 15.8; DSS, 159.5 +/- 6.3 (P < 0.001). In a separate set of animals, the ratio (R) of A(contact) to anatomic area in each plane was measured as in the previous study R(mean) (mean +/- SEM) and equaled 0.466 +/- 0.075, no DSS; 0.837 +/- 0.074, with DSS. The ratio of MTAC (1.52) and protein loss (1.90) approximate the ratio of R(mean(S)) (1.78). Because MTAC = mass transfer coefficient (MTC) x A(contact), small peritoneal transport chambers were used to determine MTC for (14)C-mannitol and fluorescein isothiocyanate-albumin. MTC(mannitol) did not change significantly with the addition of DSS. MTC(albumin) (cm/min x 10(4), mean +/- SEM) equaled 1.47 +/- 0.45 without DSS and 1.78 +/- 0.52 with DSS (P < 0.04). It was concluded that DSS increases the mass transfer rates of mannitol and protein by increasing A(contact), whereas protein transport is further augmented by an apparent increase in the barrier permeability to protein.

Improving contact area between the peritoneum and intraperitoneal therapeutic solutions

A general assumption in peritoneal dialysis or intraperitoneal chemotherapy has been that a volume of 2 to 3 L in the human is sufficient to make contact with the entire anatomic peritoneum. On the basis of our previous experimental work and that of others, it was hypothesized that only a fraction of the anatomic peritoneum was in contact with the therapeutic solution in the cavity over a short period of time. It was also hypothesized that use of agitation of the experimental animal or a surfactant in the dialysis fluid would increase the contact area of the intraperitoneal solution. These hypotheses were tested by developing a method to measure the peritoneal contact area simultaneously with the anatomic peritoneal area. Anesthetized mice (25 to 35 g) received an injection of a relatively large volume (10 ml) of isotonic solution containing a radiolabeled protein that adhered to the peritoneum with which it came in contact. After a dwell of 1 to 24 h, the animal was killed and frozen. Cross sections of the abdominal and pelvic cavities were cut and placed against film to develop into autoradiograms, which represent the linear dimension of fluid contact in each sampling plane. The tissue sections that corresponded to the autoradiograms were stained to display the linear dimension of the anatomic peritoneum in the sampling plane. By imaging both the autoradiogram and the corresponding histologic slide, an estimate of the ratio of the contact area to anatomic area in each plane can be calculated (R(mean) = average of all ratios). Applying this method to mice that were dialyzed with an isotonic salt solution under quiescent conditions for 1 h produced R(mean) = 0.43 +/- 0.03. With rapid shaking of the animal, R(mean) = 0.54 +/- 0.03 (P: < 0.05). Addition of the surfactant dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS) 0.5% to the solution under quiescent conditions increased R(mean) to 1.07 +/- 0.03 (P: < 0.001). Lengthening the dwell of the isotonic solution to 24 h increased R(mean) to >0.90. In further study of the effect of the concentration of DSS on contact area, there was a direct correlation of R(mean) with concentrations ranging from 0.0005 to 0.05% DSS. It is concluded that less than half of the mouse peritoneum is in contact with a large volume of solution in the peritoneal cavity. Maneuvers such as agitation and use of surfactant in the intraperitoneal solution increase the fraction of contact area. Also demonstrated was a direct dose-response of contact area versus intraperitoneal concentration of DSS, which may be useful in intraperitoneal therapies of peritoneal dialysis or intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Transperitoneal transport of glucose in vitro

The effect of fluid mixing intensification, damage of mesothelial cells, gentamicin, and icodextrin on the diffusive glucose transport across the peritoneal membrane were evaluated in in vitro studies. A mathematical model of mass transport was used to calculate the diffusive permeability, expressed as a diffusive permeability coefficient (P). In the control conditions, the rate of glucose transfer from the interstitial to the mesothelial side of membrane (I-->M) and in the opposite direction (M-->I) remained constant, and the P value at mean was 2,731 +/- 1,493 x 10-4 (cm x s-1). The change of the stirring rate from 5.5 to 11 ml/min increased P values by about 74% for transport direction I-->M and 58% for M-->I, and the change from 11 to 22 ml/min enhanced P at mean by about 42% for both directions. The damage of the mesothelial layer, using sodium deoxycholate (2.5 mmol/L; 103.6 mg%), increased the glucose transfer from the interstitial to the mesothelial side of the peritoneum by 41% and to the opposite direction by 70%. Addition of icodextrin to the glucose solution increased glucose bidirectional transport at mean by about 14% for I-->M and 24% for M-->I. Furthermore, gentamicin did not change the I-->M transfer, but diminished M-->I transport by about 12%. In conclusion, the reduction of unstirred fluid layers at the mesothelium and the interstitium-fluid interfaces, removal of mesothelium, and addition of icodextrin increased the diffusive glucose transport in vitro; unstirred fluid layers restricted glucose transfer (I-->M) more than the mesothelium; and peritoneal glucose transport, directed from the mesothelial to the interstitial side of the peritoneum, decreased slightly after the addition of gentamicin.

Tissue-level transport mechanisms of intraperitoneally-administered monoclonal antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), produced for specific tumor antigens, can be linked with radioisotopes or metabolic toxins and administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) to treat metastatic cancer located on the peritoneum. Despite their specific binding properties, these proteins distribute to the serosal surface of all tissues surrounding the cavity in the same manner as other serum proteins. Recent data have raised a problem of access of the solution containing the MAb to significant portions of the peritoneal surface. If the MAb does arrive at the surface of the tumor, it penetrates via diffusion and convection. The rapidity and depth of penetration of the MAb are very dependent on the binding characteristics of the MAb to the tumor cells. Current data indicate that tumors often have a large interstitial space relative to normal muscle, and this can accelerate both diffusion and convection. However, a highly permeable tumor vasculature in the absence of lymphatic drainage has also been shown to produce interstitial pressure gradients from the center toward the periphery of the tumor, setting up a potential outward flow which may be a significant barrier to the movement of MAbs into the nodule. While theoretical mechanisms of diffusion, convection, and binding are well established, there is still a great need for in vivo data.

Pharmacokinetic problems in peritoneal drug administration: tissue penetration and surface exposure

Both theory and clinical studies demonstrate that drug concentrations in the peritoneal cavity can greatly exceed concentrations in the plasma following intraperitoneal administration. This regional advantage has been associated with clinical activity, including surgically documented complete responses in ovarian cancer patients with persistent or recurrent disease following systemic therapy, and has produced a survival advantage in a recent phase III trial. Two pharmacokinetic problems appear to limit the effectiveness of intraperitoneal therapy: poor tumor penetration by the drug and incomplete irrigation of serosal surfaces by the drug-containing solution. We have examined these problems in the context of a very simple, spatially distributed model. If D is the diffusivity of the drug in a tissue adjacent to the peritoneal cavity and k is the rate constant for removal of the drug from the tissue by capillary blood, the model predicts that (for slowly reacting drugs) the characteristic penetration distance is (D/k)1/2 and the apparent permeability of the surface of a peritoneal structure is (Dk)1/2. The permeability-area product used in classical pharmacokinetic calculations for the peritoneal cavity as a whole is the sum of the products of the tissue-specific permeabilities and the relevant superficial surface areas. Since the model is mechanistic, it provides insight into the expected effect of procedures such as pharmacologic manipulation or physical mixing. We observe that large changes in tissue penetration may be difficult to achieve but that we have very little information on the transport characteristics within tumors in this setting or their response to vasoactive drugs. Enhanced mixing is likely to offer significant potential for improved therapy; however, procedures easily applicable to the clinical setting have not been adequately investigated and should be given high priority. Clinical studies indicate that an increase in irrigated area may be achieved in many patients by individualizing the dialysate volume and consideration of patient position.

Assessing the peritoneal dialysis capacities of individual patients

A method for measuring the peritoneal dialysis capacity (PDC) of the individual patient has been developed as an aid to treatment of patients with renal failure and peritoneal dialysis. The patient collects the data him or herself during an almost normal CAPD day using a carefully designed protocol whereby the nursing time is kept to a minimum. The three-pore model is used to describe the PDC with three physiological parameters: (1.) the 'Area' parameter (A0/delta X), which determines the diffusion of small solutes and the hydraulic conductance of the membrane (LpS); (2.) the final reabsorption rate of fluid from the abdominal cavity to blood (JVAR) when the glucose gradient has dissipated; and (3.) the large pore fluid flux (of plasma, JVL), which determines the loss of protein to the PD fluid. In the adult PD population (age 60, N = 97) the normal 'Area' parameter was 23,600 cm/1.73 m2, with an SEM of 650. The JVAR was 1.49 ml/min/1.73 m2 and JVL was 0.078 ml/min/1.73 m2. The PDC parameters were reproducible and could adequately predict the concentrations of the test solutes as well as that of beta 2-microglobulin. The results in terms of clearance, 'UF volume' and nutritional consequences were presented on easily understandable graphs, whereby patient compliance was improved. These physiological parameters are highly dynamic, as evidenced by the marked increases observed during peritonitis. It seems safe to conclude that PDC is a useful tool to achieve adequate dialysis and to enhance the understanding of PD exchange.