Disturbances of extracellular pK, pNa and pH during no-flow anoxia

The initial period of no-flow anoxia can be divided in at least two parts. During the first period lasting approximately 1 min., the O2 available in tissue gives rise to CO2 which increases hydrogen ion activity and may lead to Na+ influx2 (presumably due to increased membrane permeability to Na+). In the second period, starting after the first minute, the increase in lactate content leads to further decrease in pH and is accompanied by extensive sodium influx and a distinct potassium efflux. However, it is striking that the isolated perfused rat liver is able to tolerate 1 hour of norm-flow anoxia without severe cellular damage, whereas two minutes of no-flow anoxia lead to a decrease in cellular ATP content by 28%.