Cathepsin D activity and protein degradation products in organs and blood during experimental declamping shock.

Aortic cross-clamping in dogs for 60 min causes an increase in cathepsin D activity in the kidney, liver, lung, heart, skeletal muscle and the blood serum. It causes no changes in the content of protein and its degradation products of the examined organs, apart from the lungs, where the above parameters are higher. The intensity of the observed changes in the kidney and other organs does not depend on the level of aortic cross-clamping (above or below renal arteries).