Abstract
Our previous studies have shown intravenous ATP-MgCl2 following hepatic ischemia had a salutary effect on survival of animals as well as on the various hepatic function such as ICG test and RES phagocytic activity. To determine whether ATP-MgCl2 would have any beneficial effect on liver ultrastructure, electron microscopic photographs of the liver were studied at 60 minutes and 20 hours following 60 minutes of hepatic ischemia with or without ATP-MgCl2 treatment. Liver was fixed by in vivo perfusion using glutaraldehydeparaformaldehyde mixture (2.4%).
Electron micrographs of the liver at the end of ischemia showed swollen mitochondria, lack of cristae, dilation of nuclear envelope and distended endoplasmic reticulum. Photomicrographs of ATP-MgCl2 treated group showed near normal mitochondria, normal endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear envelope, especially at 20 hours following the release of hepatic ischemia, indicating ATP-MgCl2 had a beneficial effect on the ultrastractural change caused by hepatic ischemia.
