Mitochondrial Damage-associated Molecular Patterns as Potential Biomarkers in DCD Heart Transplantation: Lessons From Myocardial Infarction and Cardiac Arrest.

Heart transplantation with donation after circulatory death (DCD) has become a real option to increase graft availability. However, given that DCD organs are exposed to the potentially damaging conditions of warm ischemia before procurement, new strategies for graft evaluation are of particular value for the safe expansion of DCD heart transplantation. Mitochondria-related parameters are very attractive as biomarkers because of their intimate association with cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Mechanical Postconditioning Promotes Glucose Metabolism and AMPK Activity in Parallel with Improved Post-Ischemic Recovery in an Isolated Rat Heart Model of Donation after Circulatory Death.

Donation after circulatory death (DCD) could improve donor heart availability; however, warm ischemia-reperfusion injury raises concerns about graft quality. Mechanical postconditioning (MPC) may limit injury, but mechanisms remain incompletely characterized. Therefore, we investigated the roles of glucose metabolism and key signaling molecules in MPC using an isolated rat heart model of DCD.