On the role of the interstitial volume in the response of the rat to blood volume expansion

Summary

Patterns of body fluid distribution and selected cardiovascular and renal responses were studied following vascular expansion in normal rats and in rats with altered interstitial fluid volume produced by dehydration, prehydration or hyperoncotic albumin infusion. In all four groups the patterns of the renal excretory response and the accompanying change in central venous pressure (CVP) were closely parallel and the disturbance in CVP was finally corrected in the presence of a considerable residual vascular expansion.

During the diuresis and saluresis folloing iso-oncotic vascular expansion in prehydrated and dehydrated rats, both groups removed fluid chiefly from the interstitium; this fluid removal was attributable mainly to urinary excretion in prehydrated rats but mainly to redistribution into the cells in dehydrated rats. In the latter series, preferential renal excretion of sodium over water was observed. Hyperoncotic vascular expansion led to a peak renal excretory response only 70% of that following iso-oncotic expansion. The excreted volume was accounted for by a similar depletion of interstitial fluid after the iso-oncotic load.

These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the renal response to volume expansion regulates some parameter which is more closely related to the mean central venous pressure than to the vascular volume. This regulation was associated with incomplete correction of the vascular expansion and absolute decrease in interstitial fluid volume compared to the initial size of that compartment. This provides support for a functionally important influence of the interstitial volume on venous compliance.