LIVER PRESERVATION BELOW 0-DEGREES-C WITH UW SOLUTION AND 2,3-BUTANEDIOL

Long-term preservation of the liver is needed to transform liver trans plantation from an emergency operation to an elective procedure and th erefore to improve the results of liver transplantation. We explored t he possibility of extending the cold ischemia time of the rat liver by using a preservation temperature below 0 degrees C together with the addition of a cryoprotective agent (2,3-butanediol) at a low concentra tion in the preservation solution. Rat livers were preserved for 72 h either with UW solution at +4 degrees C (group 1) or with a UW solutio n, to which 2,3-butanediol at 8% (at +4 degrees C (group 2) or at -4 d egrees C (group 3, experimental group)) was added. Following the prese rvation process, the viability of the livers was assessed using the is olated perfused liver model. Enzymatic release, bile production, and p ortal venous flow were not significantly different between group 1 and group 3. In the two groups in which preservation included 2,3-butaned iol, the enzymatic release was significantly greater when the preserva tion temperature was +4 degrees C. We conclude that, using this method , preservation of the rat liver below 0 degrees C seems feasible. Howe ver, despite its low concentration, some toxicity of 2,3-butanediol wa s suspected. This would counterbalance the benefit resulting from the temperature-related decrease of the enzymatic activities involved in c old ischemia damage. The potential advantages of this method need to b e confirmed by assessing liver viability using a liver transplantation model. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.