Abstract
Heating the lower body of the mouse for up to 1·5 hours at temperatures above 41·0°C causes an increase in splenic lysosomal acid phosphatase activity. For mouse temperatures up to 42·3°C the change is probably due to enzyme activation, which reaches a maximum 1·5 hours after heating and then decays in a way which may be related to the transient ability of moderate hyperthermia to potentiate X-ray damage. At temperatures above about 42·5°C hyperthermia results in a qualitatively different lysomal response, probably due to an increased lysosomal membrane permeability. The change is observed immediately after heating and remains high for at least 4 hours. The resultant release of hydrolases into the cytoplasm may be involved in the irreversible cell damage caused by severe hyperthermia.