X-Message-Number: 8705
From: Ralph Merkle <>
Subject: Re: CryoNet #8703, the lysosome "suicide bag" hypothesis
Date: Sun, 2 Nov 1997 19:39:48 PST

 (Randy) said:
> Been doing some basic biology reading (_Instant Biology_  by
> Rensberger), and here's a morbid little passage from that book (for a
> seemingly moribund forum):
> 
> "Lysosome -- the Cell's Stomach...filled with powerful digestive
> enzymes.. send the broken-down food out to be used elsewhere in the
> cell [and here's the interesting part].... Lysosomes are sometimes
> called "suicide bags" because the enzymes they contain could digest
> the whole cell if they got out, which they do when the body is
> severely deprived of oxygen. During suffocation or drowning, cells
> become more acidic inside, which makes lysosome membranesbreak down
> and release their caustic jiuces. Brain cells are the first to undergo
> this reaction, often destroying themselves in four or five minutes
> after breathing stops."
> 
> I believe this process is known as autolysis.
> Randy   

See The molecular repair of the brain,
http://www.merkle.com/merkleDir/techFeas.html

Lysosomes
 
The theory that lysosomes ("suicide bags") rupture and
release digestive enzymes into the cell that result in rapid
deterioration of chemical structure appears to be incorrect.
More broadly, there is a body of work suggesting that
structural deterioration does not take place rapidly.

Kalimo et. al.[74] said "It is noteworthy that after 120 min
of complete blood deprivation we saw no evidence of membrane
lysosomal breakdown, an observation which has also been
reported in studies of in vitro lethal cell injury[omitted
references], and in regional cerebral ischemia[omitted
references]."

Hawkins et. al.[75] said "...lysosomes did not rupture for
approximately 4 hours and in fact did not release the
fluorescent dye until after reaching the postmortem necrotic
phase of injury. ... The original suicide bag mechanism of
cell damage thus is apparently not operative in the systems
studied.  Lysosomes appear to be relatively stable
organelles...."

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