Role of conversion of xanthine dehydrogenase to oxidase in ischemic rat liver cell injury.

This study was undertaken to determine whether hepatic ischemia and the subsequent reflow of blood have any effect on the conversion of xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase (XO). Ischemia of the liver for 90 or 120 minutes did not permit survival of the animals. XO represented 15% of the total xanthine dehydrogenase plus XO activity in the control liver. XO activity remained unchanged even after 90 minutes of hepatic ischemia, although a marked increase in lipid peroxide in the liver tissue was observed during the reperfusion. When hepatic ischemia was prolonged for 6 hours (animals were dead), XO activity rose to 35% of the total activity. Incubation of the liver at 37 degrees C resulted in a definite change in XO activity dependent on the length of incubation period. Although no significant changes occurred in XO activity during the first 2 hours of incubation, a marked XO conversion was observed between 2 and 4 hours, and a maximal conversion was achieved after 6 hours of incubation. These results suggest that XO newly generated during ischemia has a very limited role in oxygen free radical production after resuming perfusion.