PULMONARY ENDOTHELIAL-CELL MODIFICATIONS AFTER STORAGE IN SOLID-ORGANPRESERVATION SOLUTIONS

During lung preservation, the vascular endothelium is probably the fir st site of damage and these lesions are considered the main limiting f actor in solid-organ preservation. In the present study, the ultrastru ctural changes in the endothelial cells of human pulmonary artery hypo thermically stored (at 4 degrees C) for 6 and 12 h in Euro-Collins, Un iversity of Wisconsin and Ringer-lactate solutions were compared. The arteries obtained from three patients who underwent pneumonectomy were divided into 20 segments and preserved in the three solutions mention ed. The specimens, which were fixed in osmic acid, were examined using transmission electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy in dicated that the cells stored in the University of Wisconsin solution either for 6 or 12 h were the best preserved, while the most severely damaged cells were those stored in Euro-Collins solution, even after j ust 6 h. The cells stored in Ringer-lactate showed an intermediate lev el of damage. The data from an ultrastructural grading scale, which qu antified the damage to the cytoplasm, mitochondria and nucleus, were i n broad agreement with the general transmission electron microscopy ob servations. Analysis of variance of the grading scale data showed that there were statistically significant differences between the groups a fter both 6 and 12 h storage (P < 0.05).