Synergistic effects of brain death and liver steatosis on the hepatic microcirculation.

Background: The routine transplantation of steatotic livers could potentially mitigate the donor shortage, but so far is associated with a high rate of graft dysfunction. Steatosis and brain death have been perceived as independent risk factors, but they may synergistically target the hepatic microcirculation. This study compares the effects of brain death on the microcirculation of steatotic and normal livers.

Intravenous administration of glutathione protects parenchymal and non-parenchymal liver cells against reperfusion injury following rat liver transplantation.

Aim: To investigated the effects of intravenous administration of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) on reperfusion injury following liver transplantation.

Methods: Livers of male Lewis rats were transplanted after 24 h of hypothermic preservation in University of Wisconsin solution in a syngeneic setting. During a 2-h reperfusion period either saline (controls, n=8) or GSH (50 or 100 micromol/(h/kg), n=5 each) was continuously administered via the jugular vein.

Glutathione protects the rat liver against reperfusion injury after prolonged warm ischemia.

Objective: To evaluate the potential of postischemic intravenous infusion of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione (GSH) to protect the liver from reperfusion injury following prolonged warm ischemia.

Background Data: The release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by activated Kupffer cells (KC) and leukocytes causes reperfusion injury of the liver after warm ischemia. Therefore, safe and cost-effective antioxidant strategies would appear a promising approach to prevent hepatic reperfusion injury during liver resection, but need to be developed.

[Effect of adenosine on intravascular accumulation of leukocytes and tissue damage in striated muscle in endotoxemia].

Under the experimental conditions of endotoxinemia, the therapeutic use of an intravenous infusion of adenosine (110 micrograms x kg-1 x min-1) has been investigated in the microcirculation model of the BALB/c mouse. Injection of S. abortus-equi endotoxin (2 mg x kg-1 body wt.

Evaluation of murine liver transmission electron micrographs by an innovative object-based quantitative image analysis system (Cellenger).

Background: Transmission electron micrographs are widely used to demonstrate tissue damage. However, the results are qualitative and dependent on the experience of the investigator. Recently, a new multiscale object-based quantitative image analyzing systems (Cellenger) has been introduced to study highly textured black-and-white images.