Disulfiram is protective against postischemic cell death in the liver

The effect of the scavenger compound disulfiram (Antabus) on postischemic cell injury was investigated. Rats were subjected to 90 min of liver ischemia and 3 h of reperfusion. The extent of cell injury was evaluated morphologically by a dye exclusion test and a histochemical stain for calcium. It was found that pretreatment with disulfiram significantly reduced the number of injured cells compared to untreated controls.