X-Message-Number: 8703 Date: Sat, 01 Nov 1997 14:55:46 +0000 (GMT) From: (Randy) Subject: Lysosomes, Autolysis & Brain Cell "Suicide" Newsgroups: sci.cryonics,sci.med 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 Cryonics: Gateway to the Future? http://members.wbs.net/homepages/c/r/y/cryofan1.html *********************************** Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8703