Following the clamping of the afferent vessels of the left lateral and median lobes in rat liver, a considerable part of these lobes show signs of necrosis 24 h after 90 min of ischemia, whereas no necrotic areas can be detected after 30 min interruption of the blood flow. The purpose of this study was to examine the value of an analysis of the leakage of enzymes from the liver parenchyma in the early phase after restoration of the blood flow after ischemia for a prediction of the occurrence of necrosis. Leakage of the enzymes GPT, GOT and LDH can be detected in the blood plasma with a maximum activity between 1 and 5 h both following 30 and 90 min of ischemia; a considerable difference in clearance is observed, however, in the period afterwards, the normal situation being reached after 24 h with the 30-min ischemic period, but not following the 90-min period. With use of an enzyme histochemical reaction, in situ a depletion of LDH-activity in the hepatocytes could be detected within a short period of time after 30 min temporary ischemia and a restoration during the following period of 24 h; the decrease in LDH-activity persisted during 24 h with a 90-min period of ischemia. Electronmicroscopically cytoplasmic blebs arisen from hepatocytes are observed in the lumen of sinusoids immediately after 30 min of ischemia, whereas after 90 min of ischemia actual leakage of cytoplasmic material takes place through the damaged surface of the hepatocytes. Enzyme leakage probably takes place via these both types of shedding of cytoplasm. It is concluded that the enzyme leakage as such cannot be used as a discriminating test between reversible and irreversible damage of the liver parenchyma.

Erythrophagocytosis by the trophoblastic epithelial cells of the sheep placenta was studied in different stages of gestation. Light-microscopic observations showed that the erythrophagocytosis became more and more conspicuous with increasing stages of gestation. Electron-microscopically, this process appeared to take place in the same way as described for red cell destruction elsewhere. Light-microscopically, a high acid phosphatase activity could be demonstrated in the cells which took part in the process of erythrophagocytosis. Degenerating epithelial cells were found, the number of which appeared to increase with the stage of gestation. Under the electron microscope, the cytoplasm of these degenerating cells appeared to contain a diversity of crystals, myelin-like figures and irregular coarse concretions.

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