Hypothermic preservation of the liver. Evaluation of Eurocollins solution using rats liver slices

: In the present work, we analyze the effects produced by cold ischemia on the liver using Eurocollins solution (EC). This evaluates the function of slices obtained from preserved livers in EC (livers from adult female Wistar rats were used), which were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution (KH) for 10 min. and then with cold EC. These livers were stored at 4 degrees C in EC for 7, 24 and 48 hours. At the end of each period of preservation, the livers were sliced and they were incubated 1 hour at 37 degrees C in KH. The following parameters were determined: tissular water distribution and electrolytes content (K+ and Na+), LDH release at the incubation medium, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and urea synthesis. The slices obtained from preserved livers (7 hours), showed an increase of tissular water, expressed by the expansion of the extracellular space, a progressive diminution of tissular K+ content and an increase in TBARS and the LDH release with the increment of the preservation time. No changes in ureogenesis rate were observed. These results suggest that the cold ischemia in EC, in periods that exceed 5 hours, cause, changes in the membrane permeability and severely affects the mechanism of regulation of the tissular volume and may compromise the functional viability of the organ to be transplanted.