Impact of a new refrigerator on the preservation of hepatic grafts.

Aim:   Current medical transplantation methods focus on solutions for major problems such as the shortage of donors. To overcome these issues, expanding organ preservation time has become a major concern. A new refrigerating chamber has been recently developed, which can cool the inside of a material to the required temperature by frequently sensing the temperature of both inside and surface of the materials. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of a new refrigerating system in hepatic preservation.

Methods:   The liver grafts were harvested from rats and divided into two groups. Group A consisted of grafts preserved in chilled University of Wisconsin solution (UW) solution (on ice) for 24, 72 and 168 h. Group B consisted of grafts preserved in the UW solution in a new refrigerator at 4°C.

Results:   In group B, aspartate aminotransferase released into effluent after cold storage for 72 h showed a marked decrease compared to group A (P < 0.05). The levels of ammonia and lactate decreased significantly in group B (P < 0.05). In group B, the levels of adenosine triphosphate were significantly preserved after cold storage for 24 h and 72 h compared to group A (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry showed positive cells for heme oxygenase-1 were significantly increased in group B after cold storage.

Conclusion:   This new refrigerator can improve preservation injury of hepatic grafts and may provide an innovative technique for liver transplantation.