Transcapillary exchange of molecular weight markers in the postglomerular circulation: application of a barrier-limited model

Abstract

The permselectivity of the postglomerular capillary wall was studied by performing pulse-injection multiple indicator-dilution experiments on dog kidneys in vivo, using simultaneous injection of T1824-labeled albumin (plasma reference), creatinine (extracellular reference), and one or two radioactively labeled indicators: raffinose (595 dalton), vitamin B12 (1,357 dalton), or inulin (approximately 5,000 dalton). The urine transit patterns superimposed for all these except albumin, suggesting equal permeability for these molecular weight markers at the level of the glomerular filtration barrier. But the renal vein mean transit times progressively decreased. Therefore, their apparent interstitial volumes of distribution decrease with increasing molecular weight. This could be due to several factors acting singly or in combination: reduced capillary permeability in the postglomerular microcirculation; restricted diffusion in the postglomerular interstitium; or excluded volume effects. Evidence suggested that the effect was due to a combination of permeability and exclusion volume effects. To assess the validity of this assumption, the barrier-limited model was compared with the experimental data. The results were analyzed (both hydropenic and mannitol-diuretic dogs) and best fits calculated using two independent parameters, permeability and excluded volume. For permeability (X10(-4) cm/s, mean +/- SD) the range of values was always greater than or equal to 15 for creatinine and raffinose, and greater than or equal to 12 for B12. The permeability for inulin was 6.9 +/- 1.4. When interstitial volume excluded was expressed as percentage of the volume available to creatine, the excluded volume was negligible for raffinose and B12 but 12 +/- 5% for inulin. During mannitol diuresis the permeability for creatinine and raffinose remained high, but the values tended to decrease for B12. The permeability of inulin decreased to 2.9 +/- 0.09. Mannitol diuresis increased the excluded volume of inulin but did not alter the creatinine, raffinose, or B12 value.