Long-term cold liver storage induces endothelin-1 release and a time-dependent increase in portal pressure at reperfusion in the rat.

Background: Long-term cold storage and reperfusion lead to great liver injury involving major microcirculatory disturbance. This study investigated the effect of storage duration on endothelin-1 production, portal pressure, and microcirculation.

Methods: Rat livers were perfused before and after 15 min to 48 h of cold storage in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution.

Results: Portal pressure was unchanged for up to 12 h of storage, and increased by 40% and 70% after 24 and 48 h, respectively. Vascular space was increased by a factor of 1.7 following 48 h of storage. Endothelin-1 was released by livers stored in UW solution for 48 h (3.99 +/- 1.85 pg/100 microl). The nonselective endothelin-1 receptor antagonist TAK-044 partially prevented the increase in portal pressure and prevented the increase in vascular space.

Conclusions: Cold storage induces a time-dependent elevated portal pressure at reperfusion. The involvement of endothelin-1 in this process offers opportunities to improve liver graft quality by using endothelin-1 inhibitors.