THE EFFECT OF LYMPHATIC EDEMA ON THE UPTAKE OF COLLOIDS TO THE LYMPH-NODES

The majority of pathological conditions of the lymphatic system can re sult in some degree of lymphoedema, which in turn causes a reduced rat e of lymph flow. In some cases, such as when nodes are invaded by tumo ur metastases, blockage of the lymphatic vessels may occur. In order t o investigate the effect of such pathology on nanosphere uptake in reg ional lymph nodes, the fate of model polystyrene nanospheres, surface modified with block co-polymers of the poloxamine series, was determin ed following subcutaneous administration in a rat model with lymphoede ma (induced by the administration of lambda-carrageenan). A drastic re duction of injection site drainage and lymph node uptake of nanosphere s was observed in the inflammation model compared to control animals. The observations suggest that biodegradable nanospheres based on these will be suitable for the detection of oedema in the lymphatic system. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.