Red cell, plasma and whole blood volumes in organs of normal and hypersplenic rats.

Abstract

Volumes of red cells and plasma were measured in organs of normal and “hypersplenic” rats by means of59Fe-labelled erythrocytes and131I-labelled human serum albumin respectively. The “hypersplenism” was induced by a long-term intraperitoneal application of methylcellulose. Blood volumes in the spleen and myocard of normal rats formed roughly one-fifth, in the kidneys, lungs and liver about one-fourth to one-third of the organ weight. The absolute volume of red cells, plasma and blood in the spleen of “hypersplenic” rats was higher than in controls. When expressing these values as a per cent from the total blood volumes, 7.5times more red cells and 5times more plasma were found in “hypersplenic” rats compared with normal animals. These results speak for an existing splenic pool of red cells. The changes of blood volumes in other organs (liver, kidneys, lungs and myocard) were far more discrete.