Effect of prostaglandin E1 on preservation injury of canine liver grafts preserved in UW solution

This study investigated whether prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) could reduce hepatic injury to the liver graft caused by harvesting and 24-h preservation in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution in a canine model. The PGE1-treated group was intravenously administered 0.5 microgram/kg per minute of PGE1 for 30 min before harvesting, as well as a concentration of 1 mg/l PGE1 in the washout and UW solutions. In both the PGE1-treated and the control group, all recipients survived for 1 week or more after transplantation. Arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR) remained over 1.0 in the early postoperative period. The PGE1 group showed significant reductions in guanase, GOT, and LDH during the early postoperative period compared to the untreated control group. Histological examination disclosed partial mitochondrial swelling, hepatocyte vacuolation, and necrosis in the control group, while such abnormalities were rarely seen in the PGE1 group. These results suggest that PGE1 can effectively reduce hepatic injury to liver grafts preserved in UW solution prior to transplantation.

Low-temperature fluorometric technique for evaluating the viability of rat liver grafts after simple cold storage

Time-dependent changes in the viability of rat liver graft during cold preservation with Euro-Collins solution were evaluated with NADH fluorometry. Correlation between the fluorometric analysis, 1-week survival rate after liver transplantation, and mitochondrial ATP synthesis activity in the early phase after transplantation was studied. Fluorometric study: Rat livers were preserved at 0 degree-4 degrees C for 0-48 h in Euro-Collins solution and then reperfused for 15 min with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution at 4 degrees C. The amplitude (R x A) between the oxidized and the reduced steady-state NADH fluorometric trace and the velocity (R x V) of the trace were determined to evaluate the mitochondrial respiratory chain. The R x A and R x V remained at levels higher than 90% of control after 6-h preservation, while the R x A of the 9-h preservation group and the R x V of the 12-h preservation group decreased significantly compared with those of the control and the 6-h preservation group. Survival study: a 100% survival rate after transplantation was achieved in the 6-h preservation group, whereas the rates were 18.8% and 0% in the 9- and 12-h preservation groups respectively. These survival rates correlated closely with the time-dependent decrease of the fluorometric parameters. Study of mitochondrial phosphorylative activity and energy charge 3 h after transplantation: With fresh grafts, the decrease in hepatic energy charge after transplantation was reduced to 0.79 from the control value of 0.86 by a 30% increase in mitochondrial ATP synthesis ability.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)