The involvement of extracellular calcium in hypoxic injury to the isolated rat liver.

Isolated perfused livers from fasted rats were subjected to 30 min of hypoxia followed by 60 min of reoxygenation. At a calcium concentration of 1.25 mmol/l in the perfusate, hypoxia induced injury as evidenced by a marked release of GPT and SDH into the perfusate and by an accumulation of calcium in the livers. Omission of calcium from the perfusate attenuated hypoxia-induced enzyme release by about 50% and prevented the increase of hepatic calcium completely. A complete protection of the liver against hypoxic injury was attained in the absence of calcium when Na2 EDTA was added. An influx of calcium from the extracellular to the intracellular fluid seems to be involved in but is not the sole cause of hypoxia-induced hepatic injury.