UNLABELLED: Hypoxia is a part of many pathological and some physiological processes. It also occurs as a result of surgical techniques associated with limiting the blood supply to the operated organs and tissues. Hypoxia leads to a significant decrease in the ability of cells to implement energy-dependent processes due to a reduced contribution of mitochondria to the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In order to protect cells and increase the time of surgery, infusion of a solution of sodium fumarate for several days before the surgical procedure is suggested. However, the mechanism of the observed protective effect is still a subject of discussion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted using the MDCK renal epithelial cell line with sodium dithionite at a concentration of 5 mM to create hypoxic conditions. The parameters of cellular metabolism (including the value of mitochondrial membrane potential, the state of mitochondrial NADH and FAD, the content of Ca RESULTS: It was demonstrated that the use of sodium dithionite allows modeling acute hypoxia CONCLUSION: At the cellular level, using an optimized hypoxia model, the study revealed the mechanism of the protective role of sodium fumarate, which explained the antihypoxant effectiveness in assisted ischemia of organs and tissues.