CHANGES IN LAMININ IMMUNOREACTIVITY AS A MARKER FOR THE STATE OF LIVER PRESERVATION

In order to examine the role of the extracellular matrix glycoprotein laminin as a marker for the preservation of liver tissue, dog livers w ere perfused and then preserved for 5 min, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 22 a nd 26 hours with HTK (histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate) solution at 5 degrees C and at 25 degrees C and with UW (University of Wisconsin) solution at 5 degrees C. The tissue was processed for the immunohistoc hemical demonstration of laminin using an anti-P1 and an anti-E8 antib ody. The peroxidase-antiperoxidase method was used for the visualizati on of the immunohistochemical reaction. At the beginning of the preser vation, immunostaining was observed for both fragments of laminin arou nd bile ducts and blood vessels of the portal spaces, under all preser vation conditions. Clear immunostaining was also visible in the wall o f the terminal arterioles located between the liver lobules. In the 5 degrees C-preserved tissues, immunostaining for both laminin fragments occurred for preservation times between 4 and 6 hours in the form of isolated perisinusoidal deposits at the transition point where the sin usoids sprout from the terminal venules. In the 25 degrees C-preserved tissue, such a staining pattern was already visible after 1 to 2 hour s, preservation time. Our results show that the occurrence of laminin immunoreactivity in the sinusoids can be taken as a marker for the sta te of liver preservation. A hypothesis for the presence and the role o f this glycoprotein in the perisinusoidal space is presented.