EXPERIMENTAL LIVER NECROSIS; I. THE HEXON BASES

1. The liver of the dog in which necrosis has been produced by injection of hæmatoxic immune sera is characterized in the less marked forms by a storing up of nitrogen in the persisting living cells, while in the diffuse forms the total nitrogen content is but slightly above the normal. This last is to be explained by the great diminution in persisting liver substance which limits the power of nitrogen accumulation. 2. In all forms of necrosis there occurs an absolute increase of nitrogen precipitable by phosphotungstic acid (hexon bases) but the percentage increase, in relation to total nitrogen, diminishes in those forms (focal) in which the products of autolysis may be readily carried off by the blood stream and greatly increases in the diffuse form with large areas in which the circulation is seriously impaired. 3. Although the absolute amount of nitrogen representing arginin and histidin varies, a relative increase is evident when this fraction is compared with the total diamino-nitrogen. This increase corresponds to the degree of necrosis and attendant circulatory disturbance and indicates that in necrosis as opposed to degeneration (Wakeman) arginin is not split up by arginase. The lysin also bears a definite relation to the total hexon nitrogen. 4. The diamino-nitrogen of the normal liver after autolysis in vitro shows a slight variable increase over that of the unautolyzed, while the necrotic livers showed a decided decrease. 5. The diamino-acid nitrogen of normal horse liver is only about one half of that of the dog; the relative proportion of the bases is about the same. In necrotic livers with amyloid the diamino-nitrogen is markedly increased which is in accord with Neuberg's observations on the high hexon base content of amyloid.