Influence of nutritional state on ischemic damage in rat liver.

The influence of the nutritional state of rats on the volume of necrosis in the liver at 24 h after 60 min ischemia has been estimated using fresh liver slices incubated in tetranitro BT. The volume of necrosis is about 30% in an animal fed ad libitum and about 10% in rats fasted for 24 h. Standardization of the time of feeding using a food dispensing apparatus did not reduce the relatively high individual variation in the extent of liver cell necrosis after ischemia. The beneficial effect of fasting on the extent of liver cell necrosis induced by ischemia may be due to decreased acidosis and/or a change in metabolic status.