Alterations in the proton ATPase activity of rat liver mitochondria after hemorrhagic shock.

To clarify the damage site of complicated oxidative phosphorylation function after hemorrhagic shock in jaundiced liver mitochondria, the proton adenosine triphosphatase complex (H(+)-ATPase) activity of inside-out submitochondrial particles, mitochondrial membrane potential, and oxygen consumption in the presence of uncoupler were studied as indices of phosphorylation, membrane intactness, and oxidation, respectively. Hemorrhagic shock was induced according to the Wiggers' model (mean arterial blood pressure = 40 mm Hg) in rats made jaundiced by common bile duct ligation; rats that had undergone sham operations served as controls. After reinfusion of the shed blood, all of the control rats survived, but all of the jaundiced rats died. Liver mitochondria from jaundiced rats after 1 hour of hypotension demonstrated a 48% decrease in mitochondrial ATPase activity without remarkable changes in either oxidative activity or membrane potential of liver mitochondria. The reduction of ATPase activity appeared to be due to its release in the supernatants obtained from submitochondrial particles, because the ATPase activity of supernatants in jaundiced rats was significantly (p less than 0.001) higher than that of the controls. It is suggested that this enzyme plays a key role in energy restoration in recovery from shock.