The importance of prevention of sinusoidal endothelial cell injury during cold preservation of liver graft.

We investigated adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis, lipid peroxidation, and activities of radical scavenging enzymes in mitochondria, as well as the ultrastructural morphological changes during cold preservation of swine liver grafts (n = 6) with either Euro Collins (EC) or University of Wisconsin (UW) solutions. The liver, harvested by a standard procedure, was preserved in one of the solutions at 4 degrees C. The values of the total adenine nucleotide and mitochondrial respiratory control ratio (RCR), an index of ATP synthesis, decreased gradually for up to 24 hr during preservation with either of the two solutions and there was no statistical difference between them. Chemiluminescence of mitochondria, an index of lipid peroxidation, in the graft preserved with EC solution or UW solution decreased, and after 24 hr there was no significant difference between the two solutions. Activities of radical scavenging enzymes were well maintained in any of the two solutions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) findings showed that the sinusoidal endothelial cells were preserved much better with UW solution than with EC solution even after 12 hr preservation. We concluded that UW solution, more effective for the protection against injuries of the sinusoidal endothelial cells during cold preservation, leads to better results in clinical transplantation, but this solution has no protective effects on energy production, nor radical scavenging enzyme activities of mitochondria. In the maintenance of liver graft viability, protection of the sinusoidal microcirculatory disturbance is more important than that of the mitochondrial function.