A new sensitive fluorometric method for measurement of vascular permeability.

A sensitive fluorometric method has been developed for the measurement of vascular permeability in carrageenin air-pouch inflammation in rats. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bovine serum albumin (F-BSA) was used as a tracer. This fluorometric method is as simple and reliable as the method using radioiodine-labeled human serum albumin and has the advantages of low cost, no health hazard, and the fact that F-BSA can be stored over a long period. This fluorometric method is probably applicable to other inflammation models such as pleurisy and peritonitis in which inflammatory exudate can be collected.