Reoxygenation of anoxic human tissues. An application for electron microscopy and its limits

The reoxygenation technique originally used by Ferguson and Richardson (1978) for the revival and the ultrastructural improvement of tracheal and bronchial mucosae obtained post-mortem, has been applied to lung parenchyma, skin, liver, cerebellar cortex and skeletal muscle. The results show that the ultrastructural changes caused by post-mortem anoxia lasting 2 1/2-5 h were at least partially reversible in the alveolar epithelium and in the epidermis after 3 h reoxygenation in O2-saturated Krebs-Henseleit physiological solution at 37 degrees C. In contrast, reoxygenation was without any positive effect on anoxic changes in liver parenchyma, cerebellar cortex and skeletal muscle. The oxygen content of the immediate environment and temperature decrease are supposed to be the main protective factors influencing the reversibility of anoxia and thus affecting the results of reoxygenation. It might be expected that other superficially localized and air-exposed tissues (the nasal, paranasal, pharyngeal, laryngeal and oral mucosae, conjunctiva and cornea) could be revived or ultrastructurally improved by the reoxygenation technique.