Intraperitoneal Injection

Intraperitoneal injection, or IP injection, is the injection of a substance into the peritoneum, the serous membrane lining the abdominal cavity, a method applied more often to animals than to humans, especially as a way to administer drugs in laboratory studies. In humans, it is widely used to administer chemotherapy drugs, particularly for ovarian cancer, where intraperitoneal use has been recommended, though controversially, as a standard of care, and fluids are injected intraperitoneally in infants and used for peritoneal dialysis. In animal research it is preferred for being quick to learn and perform and relatively low stress for the animal, avoiding the need to establish intravenous access, though differences in metabolism and bioavailability limit how well it predicts standard human drug administration.