Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biology, University of Bari, Italy; 2Department of Zoology, Laboratory of Histology and Comparative Anatomy, University of Bari, Italy; 3Center for the Study of Mitochondria and Energy Metabolism (CNR) Bari, Italy Mitochondrial bioenergetic impairment has been found in the organelles isolated from rat liver during the prereplicative phase of liver regeneration. To gain insight into the mechanism underlying this impairment, we investigated mitochondrial ultrastructure and membrane permeability properties in the course of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, with special interest to the role played by Ca2+ in this process. .