Investigations on the process of skin graft take have been performed by many investigators and it has been shown that skin grafts become viable after revascularization from the graft bed after passing through a certain period of circulatory interruption. However, there are some disagreements between researchers regarding the role played by serum and the onset time of revascularization. We have investigated the changes in adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and glucose levels of skin grafts in rats to understand the biochemical process of skin graft take. A total of 250 male Wistar rats were used, and 450-microns split-thickness skin grafts were cut from their backs using a dermatome. In Group 1, the skin graft was grafted onto the dorsal fascia of the same rat. In Group 2, a 191-microns-thick Millipore filter with 1.5-microns pores was interposed between the graft and the dorsal fascia to inhibit revascularization. In Group 3, the skin graft was enveloped in a piece of gauze containing physiological saline solution and incubated at 37 degrees C. Skin grafts were removed at 6, 12, and 24 hours as well as on days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 after grafting. The ATP and glucose levels were extracted from the grafts and quantitated using high-performance liquid chromatography. In Group 1, the ATP and glucose levels in the graft decreased rapidly after grafting; the ATP level fell to approximately 30% of that before grafting and glucose to about 20%, on days 2 and 3, respectively. Thereafter, these levels increased gradually.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)