Distribution of glass fibers in the peritoneal cavity of the rat following administration by intraperitoneal injection

Abstract

The distribution of glass fibers in the peritoneal cavity of the rat was investigated at 2, 24, and 48 h following intraperitoneal injection of 7 mg of material using a radioactive tracer technique. At each time point the peritoneal cavities of the rats killed were lavaged with 20 ml of physiological saline to recover fibers not yet attached to tissue surfaces. At 2 h, 35% of the administered fiber could be recovered by lavage, but at 48 h this was reduced to 2%. At 48 h, the amount of fiber associated with the abdominal organs and the abdominal wall was roughly in proportion to their surface areas. The weight of fiber associated with the various tissues was in the following order: gastrointestinal tract > liver > carcass (abdominal wall) > diaphragm > urogenital tract > spleen > kidneys. Differential counts on cells recovered by lavage were made both on cytocentrifuge slides and by flow cytometry. Compared with controls, the numbers of cells recovered from treated rats at 24 and 48 h were increased by a factor of about 2, due mainly to an influx of neutrophils into the peritoneal cavity. There was a marked reduction in the proportion of mast cells compared to controls.