Recovery of nucleotide levels after cell injury.

The major pathway of purine catabolism in mouse kidney during ischemia occurs through IMP, inosine, hypoxanthine, and xanthine. Short periods of ischemia (reversible cell injury) allow a rapid return of the energy charge to control values and a rapid return of ATP and GTP to value of 60-70% of control. ATP and GTP then slowly return to control levels over the next 24 h. Long periods of ischemia (irreversible cell injury; ischemic times longer than 1 h) allow a gradual return of the energy charge to control levels. ATP, GTP or total adenine or guanine nucleotides do not return to control levels even after 24 h of reinfusion under these circumstances. We conclude that irreversibly injured kidney cells retain the ability to phosphorylate purine nucleotides, but lose the ability to restore the concentrations of the purine nucleotides to control values.