The effects of heterologous liver cross-hemodialysis on adenylate energy charge of the remnant liver after major hepatic resection.
The effect of liver support on the adenylate energy charge (ATP + 0.5ADP)/(ATP + ADP + AMP) of the remnant liver after major hepatic resection was studied in rabbits. The present study emphasized the principle of restoring the decreased energy charge level of the remnant liver after major hepatic resection by use of an ex vivo heterologous liver cross-hemodialysis with an interposed Cuprophan membrane. The energy charge level provides the cell with a very sensitive intracellular control mechanism. Regulatory enzymes from biosynthetic sequences exhibit very little activity at low levels of energy charge, and their activities increase sharply at high-energy charge levels. The energy charge level of the remnant liver maximally decreased from the control level of 0.860 to 0.767 at 24 hours after 70% hepatectomy. The energy charge level increased from 0.767 to 0.857 after two hours of cross-hemodialysis with an interposed Cuprophan membrane between the 24-hour, 70% hepatectomized rabbit and an ex vivo pig liver with high energy charge. The above results suggest that this ex vivo pig cross-hemodialysis may be effective for biosynthesis in the regenerative processes of the remnant liver.