COMPARISON OF EFFECTS OF SODIUM PENTOBARBITAL OR ETHER-INDUCED ANESTHESIA ON RATE OF FLOW AND CELL CONTENT OF RAT THORACIC DUCT LYMPH

Abstract

A study was made of the rate of flow and cell content of the thoracic duct lymph of 88 normal male rats of the Long-Evans strain at the ages of 40, 60, and 100 days, under the influence of ether and Na pentobarbital anesthetics and after recovery from the ether anesthetized state, by the use of 2 operative techniques for the collection of lymph. Lymph flow and cell content in the 40-day-old rats are labile in response to the various anesthetic agents in comparison with the 60-day-old group in which rates of flow and cell content are not significantly altered. Thus ether anesthetization in the 40-day-old rat produces a 30% absolute increase in lymph flow and a 40% absolute decrease in cell content as compared with the flow and cell content under Na pentobarbital anesthesia. These differences are not noted in the anesthetized 60-day-old groups. Lymph collected from the thoracic duct in the neck or in the upper abdomen does not differ significantly, either for rate of flow or in cell content in 60-day-old rats under Na pentobarbital anesthesia. Emphasis is placed on the necessity for employing animals of a single age group, sex, and comparable nutritional and environmental status in assessing the influence of any substance which may be presumed to alter either rate of lymph flow or cell content of the thoracic duct lymph.