NONESTERIFIED FATTY-ACID CONTENT OF RABBIT KIDNEY CORTEX SLICES AFTERWARM ISCHEMIA AND LOW-TEMPERATURE PRESERVATION

Nonesterified fatty acid content (NEFA) of rabbit kidney cortex slices preserved at low temperature after warm ischemia was examined. Kidney tissue slices were subjected to 60 min of warm (37 degrees C) ischemi a induced by anoxic gaseous phase incubation and then either had reper fusion simulated by normothermic oxygenated aqueous incubation or were preserved at 5 degrees C up to 18 h with UW sodium gluconate solution and then reincubated at normothermia. Slice NEFA content increased du ring ischemia and remained significantly higher than controls during s imulated reperfusion. Ischemic tissue dice NEFA content was significan tly reduced by both 3- and 18-h preservations. There was a significant increase in NEFA content in 3-h preserved slices during simulated rep erfusion. This increase was relatively unaffected by the addition of K CN to the incubation medium, suggesting that mitochondrial injury was induced by ultrashort preservation of ischemic tissue slices. Ischemic tissue slices preserved for 18 h increased in NEFA content during sim ulated reperfusion but did not appear more damaged than slices subject ed to ischemia alone. Addition of quinacrine (100 mu mol/l) to the col d preservation solution significantly reduced NEFA content during simu lated reperfusion of slices preserved both 3 and 18 h with a greater e ffect in 18-h preserved slices. Quinacrine had no effect when added on ly during simulated reperfusion. KCN addition during simulated reperfu sion indicated that quinacrine acted as a mitochondrial protectant in the absence of phospholipase inhibition under these conditions. This s tudy showed that cold preservation may be useful for resuscitation of ischemic tissues harvested for transplantation. Treatments administere d during cold preservation of ischemic tissue can have a lasting benef icial effect during reperfusion and may be more effective than similar treatments given only during reperfusion. (C) 1996 Academic Press, In c.