Scientific Proceedings. 



69 



49 (192) 



Experimental liver necrosis : 1. Hexon bases. 



By HOLMES C. JACKSON and RICHARD M. PEARCE. 



\From the Department of Physiological Chemistry, Bender Labora- 

 tory, Albany, N. K] 



The following conclusions were reached as the results of the 

 analysis according to the Wakeman-Kossel method for the deter- 

 mination of hexon bases of the normal and necrotic livers of dogs 

 and horses in various stages of necrosis and of the same after 

 autolysis for varying lengths of time. 



Necrosis was induced in the case of the dog by means of the 

 injection of haemotoxic immune sera and in the horses by injections 

 of bacterial toxins. 



1. The dry solid content of the (a) scattered and of the (b) 

 diffusely necrotic liver tissue showed no variation from that of the 

 normal. 



2. The nitrogen of the dry substance averaged 1 1 per cent, in 

 the normal liver, 21.7 per cent, in those with scattered necroses 

 (increase 95.4 per cent.) and 12.65 per cent, in the diffusely 

 necrotic (increase 5.3 per cent). 



3. In the cases of scattered focal necroses the nitrogen 

 precipitable by phosphotungstic acid after acid hydrolysis formed 

 1 1.3 per cent, and in the diffused necroses 30 per cent, of the 

 total nitrogen as against 1 5 per cent, for the normal ; a decrease 

 of 25 per cent, for the first and an increase of 100 per cent, for 

 the more advanced type of necrosis. 



4. The normal dog's liver apparently possesses no hexon- 

 splitting enzyme, or at any rate the arginase is held in abeyance 

 by factors to be discussed in a later paper, since the nitrogen 

 precipitable by phosphotungstic acid after hydrolysis with acids 

 increased from 15 per cent, to 19.5 per cent, after autolysis for 

 periods varying from 4-8 weeks. This increase (30 per cent.) 

 was about equally divided between arginin and lysin. 



5. The necrotic livers allowed to undergo autolysis showed 

 approximately the same percentage loss of phosphotungstic- 

 precipitable nitrogen (hexon) despite the extent of the necrosis. 



