[Effect of hypothermia on metabolism in the liver during its preservation]

Twenty experiments were conducted on dogs. The effect of hypothermia of different degree (from 18 to 20 degrees C and from 4 to 6 degrees C) on the carbohydrate metabolism and the extent of solubilization of hepatic enzymes (lactate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, urokaninase, DNA-ase, glucose-6-phosphatase) in prefusion-free preservation of the liver was studied. The preservation efficacy was assessed during the subsequent two-hour normothermic perfusion. A marked solubilization of the enzymes under study followed preservation of the liver at 18--20 degrees C; this indicated the loss of intactness of the cell membranes during the preservation. A moderate expenditure of the glycogen stores in the liver, and of sugar in the perfusate followed preservation of the liver at a temperature of 4--6 degrees C; this suggested an even suppression of hepatic metabolism and the prevalence of normal tissue respiration over glycolysis in the restoration of circulation in the liver.