Optimized method to harvest both kidneys from one donor rat for transplantation.

Background: Rat renal transplantation is an essential experimental model for studies of transplantation immunobiology. Harvesting both kidneys from one donor rat for transplantation is widely used to reduce the number of experimental animals. Using the conventional method, both kidneys of the donor rat are harvested simultaneously, which leads to the prolonged warm ischemic times during transplantation of the second donor kidney.