Osmotically Absorbed Water Preferentially Enters the Cutaneous Capillaries of the Pelvic Patch in the Toad Bufo marinus

Cutaneously absorbed water in anurans has two potential routes of movement from the skin interstitium into the body fluids, via the cutaneous capillaries and/or the lymphatic system. We investigated the lymphatic route at the pelvic patch skin under the influence of isoproterenol and arginine vasotocin in Bufo marinus by continuously aspirating lymph from the lymph sacs draining the pelvic patch while the animals absorbed water. Changes in body mass, lymph mass, and lymph osmolality were measured. If absorbed water entered the lymph space directly, we expected, relative to controls, (1) no difference in change in body mass, (2) lymph mass to be greater, and (3) lymph osmolality to be lower. None of these predictions were confirmed. We also tested the possibility that absorbed water was stored in the skin interstitium by measuring the surface density of pelvic skin immediately after it absorbed water. If water was stored, we expected the surface density of this skin to be greater than that of control skin. No difference in surface density was found. These results provide strong evidence that absorbed water does not directly enter the lymphatic system and is not stored in the skin. Consequently, osmotically absorbed water must enter via a transcapillary route.