Voluntarily Ingested Sodium Chloride as a Lymphagogue in the Rat.

Abstract

A comparison is made of the rates of. thoracic duct lymph flow in unanesthetized male rats maintained under the exptl. conditions of fasting and feeding with free acess to either water or 1% NaCl soln. Thoracic duct lymph flow is at a low level in the fasted animal with free access to water. The rate of flow is increased by feeding or access to 1% NaCl soln. The rate of flow in the fed animal with free access to 1% NaCl is increased appreciably over that of the controls, and out of proportion to any hitherto employed method for voluntarily increasing lymph flow in the otherwise normal animal. In some instances, the lymph flow of the NaCl treated animal exceeded the body wt. of the animal in a 24-hr. period. Alternation of periods of access to water and saline soln. produced correspondingly low and high rates of lymph flow in the fed animals.