Evans Blue Space in Tissues of the Rat

Abstract

Plasma and tissue were analyzed for dye at each of 6 periods during the first 2 hours following the injection of 20 mg of Evans blue into groups of 250 g rats. Tissue plasma volumes (ml/100 g fresh tissue) were thereby estimated to be: thigh muscle 0.4, skeleton 4.6, skin 2.0, liver 8.5, lung 10.4, heart muscle 8.0, kidney 5.7, testes 0.6, spleen 7.5, brain 1.0, stomach 3.4, small intestine 5.3, and large intestine 1.6. The fate and distribution of the dye at later periods was also described. The time-concentration curves for Evans blue obtained from the different tissues are used as a basis for interpreting the plasma dye disappearance curve. Changes in tissue plasma volume produced by epinephrine and by mechancal alterations of blood volume are described.