The measurement of permeability in single capillaries

Effect of albumin on the osmotic pressure exerted by myoglobin across capillary walls in frog mesentery

1. Individual capillaries in mesenteries of pithed frogs were perfused sequentially with two frog Ringer solutions containing myoglobin at a concentration of 70 mg/ml. The first perfusate solution contained bovine serum albumin at a concentration of 10 mg/ml. The second perfusate contained no albumin. The modified Landis micro-occlusion technique (Michel, Mason, Curry & Tooke, 1974) was used to measure the capillary hydraulic conductivity and the effective osmotic pressure of the myoglobin solution across the capillary wall under conditions where the transcapillary concentration difference was established by steady-state ultrafiltration. 2. In six capillaries the effective osmotic pressure of the myoglobin solution at 20-22 degrees C was 15.9 +/- 2.2 (S.E. of mean) cmH2O when albumin was in the perfusate and 10.1 +/- 1.1 cmH2O after albumin was removed from the perfusate. 3. The hydraulic conductivity of the capillary wall increased from a mean value of 6.5 +/- 1.4 X 10(-7) cm/(s cmH2O) when albumin was in the perfusate to 15.6 +/- 3.8 X 10(-7) cm/(s cmH2O) during perfusion with Ringer solution containing myoglobin alone. 4. Control experiments to measure steady-state filtration rates at pressures 10-30 cmH2O were carried out to check the assumption in the method that the reduction in the measured osmotic pressure of myoglobin was the result of changes in the properties of the molecular sieve within the capillary wall and was not simply the result of solute accumulation on the tissue side of the capillary wall. 5. The measured reduction in the effective osmotic pressure of myoglobin when albumin was removed from the perfusate does not conform to the hypothesis (Crone, 1984) that the tight segment of the intercellular junction is the principal molecular filter for myoglobin in the wall of frog mesenteric capillaries. 6. Our results do conform to the hypothesis that a network of fibrous molecules, reinforced by adsorbed albumin, forms the principal molecular filter at the capillary wall in frog mesenteric capillaries.

Capillary permeability of 131I-albumin in skeletal muscle

Capillary permeability of 131I-albumin in skeletal muscle was determined by applying the "single injection, residue detection" method to the autoperfused cat gastrocnemius muscle preparation. Experiments at zero venous pressure gave an average capillary extraction fraction, E, of 0.028 at a plasma flow of about 3 ml X (100 g)-1 X min-1. The permeability-surface area product, PS, was on average 0.075 ml X (100 g)-1 X min-1. Experiments at a venous pressure of 10 mm Hg gave essentially the same PS product (0.070 ml X (100 g)-1 X min-1. Further experiments demonstrated that stagnant intravascular pools of 131I-albumin were not present. The free diffusion coefficient in water at 37 degrees of the purified 131I-albumin was 0.0631 X 10-5 cm2 X sec-1). The distribution volume for 131I-albumin in the interstitial space was 3.5 ml X (100 g)-1 X sec-1. Assuming a capillary surface area of 70 cm2 X g-1 the permeability coefficient was calculated to be 18 X 10(-8) cm X sec-1 which is about 3 to 10 times higher than values obtained by lymph sampling methods. The results indicate that the predominant transcapillary transport mechanism for 131I-albumin is diffusion. When analyzed according to the theory of restricted diffusion the results are compatible with transcapillary diffusion through pores with an effective equivalent pore radius of 145 A.

The effects of native and modified bovine serum albumin on the permeability of frog mesenteric capillaries

Single capillaries in the mesenteries of pithed frogs were perfused sequentially with two frog Ringer solutions. The first solution contained no protein; the second solution contained either native or chemically modified bovine serum albumin (BSA) at a concentration of 3-5 mg ml-1. During each perfusion capillary permeability was assessed from the hydraulic conductivity of the capillary wall (Lp) which was determined from measurements of fluid filtration rate at two or more different capillary pressures (Michel, Mason, Curry, Tooke & Hunter, 1974). Lp measured during perfusion with protein-free Ringer solution was on average three times greater than its value for the same vessel perfused with Ringer solution containing native BSA. This confirms the findings of Mason, Curry & Michel (1977). BSA, which had been succinylated to modify the free amino groups of its lysine residues, appeared to be as effective as native BSA in reducing Lp. After modification of its arginine side chains by exposure to 1,2-cyclohexanedione (CHD) in the presence of 0.2 M-NaOH, BSA lost its property of reducing Lp in capillaries perfused with Ringer solution. Exposure of BSA to 0.2 M-NaOH followed by dialysis against normal Ringer solution did not affect its property of reducing Lp. CHD-treated BSA at a concentration of 2.5 mg ml-1 had no effect upon the effective osmotic pressure exerted across capillary walls by Ringer perfusates containing the neutral polymer Ficoll 70 at a concentration of 40 mg ml-1. Native BSA raised the effective osmotic pressure from 7.07 +/- 1.93 cmH2O to 20.50 +/- 2.37 cmH2O (n = 7; P less than 0.001). It is concluded that the effects of BSA on permeability depend upon specific sites in the BSA molecule. It is suggested that these sites involve positively charged arginine side chains of the albumin molecule. The results are discussed in terms of the fibre-matrix hypothesis of capillary permeability and in terms of Brown's (1976) theory for the structure of albumin.

Water flow across the walls of single muscle capillaries in the frog, Rana pipiens

Individual capillaries of the transilluminated frog muscle cutaneous pectoris were perfused with suspensions of human red cells in frog Ringer solution containing 1 g/dl bovine serum albumin. The modified Landis technique (Michel, Mason, Curry & Tooke, 1974) was used to measure hydraulic conductivities of the capillary wall. Sucrose osmotic reflexion coefficients of the capillary wall were measured in four capillaries when the superfusate contained 100 mM-sucrose. All experiments were made at 22-24 degrees C. The hydraulic conductivity of arterial capillaries varied from 0.3 to 1.26 X 10(-7) cm/(s cmH2O) with a mean of 0.79 X 10(-7) cm/(s cmH2O) (six capillaries). The hydraulic conductivities of mid-capillaries varied from 0.43 to 1.86 X 10(-7) cm/(s cmH2O) with a mean value of 0.72 X 10(-7) cm/(s cmH2O) (six capillaries). The mean reflexion coefficient to sucrose was 0.12 +/- 0.05 (S.D.). The measured reflexion coefficients to sucrose conform to the hypothesis that 90% of the transcapillary water flow crosses the capillary wall via the principal hydrophilic pathway. The remaining 10% crosses via an exclusive water pathway. The distribution of water flow is similar to that previously described in frog mesenteric capillaries. The mean value of the hydraulic conductivity of frog muscle capillaries is about one-seventh the mean value of the hydraulic conductivity of frog mesenteric capillaries measured at the same temperature. The result conforms to the hypothesis that only a small fraction (mean 10%) of the area of junctional contact between adjacent endothelial cells is available for water and solute exchange in frog muscle capillaries. The hydraulic and diffusional conductances per unit length of open junction appear to be very similar when muscle capillaries are compared to mesenteric capillaries in the frog. Our results lead us to speculate that structures within the intercellular junctions determine the extent of open junction and may modulate the hydraulic conductivity of both the principal water pathway and the exclusive water pathway.

Filtration coefficients and osmotic reflexion coefficients of the walls of single frog mesenteric capillaries

1. Single capillaries in the mesentery of pithed frogs were perfused with frog Ringer solutions containing various concentrations of bovine serum albumin and myoglobin. Filtration coefficients (Lp) of the capillary wall were determined from measurements of fluid filtration rate at a series of different capillary pressures (Michel, Mason, Curry & Tooke, 1974). The osmotic reflexion coefficients (sigma) to albumin and myoglobin were determined by comparing the effective osmotic pressure exerted by these solutes across the capillary walls with their osmotic pressures in a membrane osmometer. 2. Lp and sigma to albumin were measured in eighteen vessels at different sites in the capillary bed with the tissue temperature in the range of 20-24 degrees C. Lp varied from 1.5 x 10(-3) to 15 x 10(-3) micrometer sec-1 cm H2O-1 having a higher mean value in nine venous capillaries (11.33 x 10(-3) micrometer sec-1 cm H2O-1) than in nine arterial and mid-capillaries (4.83 x 10(-3) micrometer sec-1 cm H2O-1). For all eighteen vessels sigma to albumin had a mean value of 0.816 (S.E. of mean +/- 0.027). There was no correlation between Lp and sigma. The mean value of sigma for the venous capillaries was 0.841 (S.E. of mean +/- 0.04) and the other nine vessels 0.802 (S.E. of mean +/- 0.034). 3. The osmotic reflexion coefficient to myoglobin was measured in seven different capillaries and found to have a mean value of 0.348 (S.E. of mean +/- 0.012) at 20-24 degrees C. The Lp of the capillaries varied from 3.0 x 10(-3) to 10.5 x 10(-3) micrometer sec-1 cm H2O-1. There was no correlation between sigma for myoglobin and Lp. 4. The method of Curry, Mason & Michel (1976) was used to measure sigma for urea in eight capillaries at 20-24 degrees C (sigma for albumin was also measured in two of these vessels). The mean value of sigma for urea was 0.061 (S.E. of mean +/- 0.012). The exclusive water channel (Curry et al. 1976) was calculated to have a value of 0.209 x 10(-3) micrometer sec-1 H2O-1. 5. The effects of temperature on Lp were investigated in a further seven capillaries. It was found that when tissue temperature changed slowly (less than 2 degrees C min-1) the changes of Lp were similar to the reciprocal changes in the viscosity of water. 6. The estimates of Lp and sigma for myoglobin and serum albumin are discussed in terms of the classical pore theory and in terms of a theory that the molecular sieving properties of the capillary wall reside in a matrix of molecular fibres which covers the endothelial cells and fills the channels through or between them. A quantitative theory of a fibre matrix membrane is given in the Appendix.