THE SITROGET\; METABOLISM OF RAT TISSUE SLICES UNDER Vz4RIOUS CONDITIONS

When tissues are ground up and incubated aseptically, a,utolysis occurs and t’he proteolytic enzymes in the cell are considered responsible. It is assumed that after the death of an animal and while the cell structures are still intact similar autolytic action occurs. It is not, however, known whether autolysis begins immediately after death with the establishment of anaerobic conditions. It is possible that other changes in nitrogen metabolism and distribution precede autolysis. In order to investigate this possibility the changes in nitrogen metabolism of tissue slices during 3 or 4 hours post mortem were studied under various conditions and, in paaticular, the effects of anaerobiosis. It soon became evident that some of the changes observed under the conditions of the experiments could not be attributed to the result of autolytic action.