The response of the rat liver to normobaric hypoxia stimulated in vivo and in vitro

Abstract

The metabolic features of the rat liver were studied in artificial homeostasis conditions, using an isolated perfused organ as a model. The metabolism of the liver isolated from an intact rat and perfused with a normobaric hypoxic medium was compared with that of a liver that was isolated from a rat preliminarily kept in a chamber to simulate hypoxia of the total body and perfused using a medium with a normal oxygen content. The functional activity of the liver was assessed by portal pressure; oxygen consumption; and carbon dioxide gas, urea, glucose, and lactate contents in the perfusion medium. Metabolic changes in the perfused liver during oxygen deficiency became detectable at the same time point after exposure regardless of the method used to experimentally simulate hypoxia. This finding directly points to the metabolic autonomy of the liver.