Heptanol effects on protected livers

Heptanol, an agent known for inducing closure of gap junctions in a variety of organs, was used to evaluate the influence of uncoupling on the electrical impedance of livers during ischemia. Heptanol was added to a modified HTK solution or to Belzer's UW-CSS solution. Livers of swine were then perfused for 8 min with either one of the solutions containing heptanol or a solution devoid of this additive. During the following ischemia the phase angle of impedance at 5 kHz, pH and different biochemical parameters were determined. Heptanol fundamentally changed the time course of impedance and made the otherwise characteristic fast increase of the phase angle of impedance disappear. Already early during ischemia the phase angle was raised in a dose-dependent manner up to even highest values at the beginning of the whole observation period in case of a fully developed effect. Heptanol also stimulated anaerobic energy turnover. The results suggest that, besides unspecific effects, heptanol induces uncoupling which is detectable by electrical impedance measurement.