Exploratory Development Of Machine Perfusion In Preservation Of Liver Donors In Liver Transplantation Models Of Rats

Objective Basing on successfully establishing liver transplantation models of rats, through preserving liver donors by machine perfusion(MP), to observe the effect of MP in liver transplantation and to probe the mechanism of MP in preservation of liver donors.Method The models of orthotopic liver transplantation were established in rats. Fifty male rats were ramdomly divided into three groups. The nomal group was that the liver donors were transplanted without preservation. The control group was that the liver donors were transplanted after having been preserved for 6 hours or 24 hours by cold storage(CS). The experimental group was that the liver donors were transplanted after having been preserved for 6 hours or 24 hours by MP. The sera of all recipients were collected at the 4th hour after transplantation, then tested the content of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), serum total bilirubin (STB) and hyaluronic acid (HA) in serum. Simultaneously, some hepatic tissue were obtained to observe the morphological changes of hepatic cells and sinus hepaticus endothelial cells by light microscope.Results The values of serum ALT, AST, LDH were significantly lower in experimental group than in control group after liver transplantations (p<0.05), but higher than in normal group. Comparing with the nomal group, the values of serum AST and LDH in 6-hours machine perfusion preservation group and the value of serum LDH in 24-hours machine perfusion preservation group have no significant difference (p>0.05). The values of serum STB and HA after liver transplantation in experimental group and control group were both significantly higher than in normal group (p<0.05), while there was significant difference between the experimental group and the control group, and the values of serum STB and HA in experimental group are significantly lower than in control group. In control group, after six hours'preservation, the hepatic cells were basically normal, but sinus hepaticus endothelial cells swelled. After 24 hours, hepatic cells swelled and occurred vacuolar degeneration and punctiform necrosis. The degrees of these changes were significantly slighter in MP group.Conclusion 1. MP can protect the hepatic cell and the sinus hepaticus endothelial cell of liver donors. The hepatic functional restoration is better after liver transplantation. 2. MP can prolong the time of liver preservation. 3. In the same conditions of solution and temperature, MP surpass CS on protection of hepatic function and prolongation of the liver preservation's time.