ADMINISTRATION OF ATRACURIUM DURING REPERFUSION OF RAT LIVERS AFTER 21 H OF COLD ISCHEMIC STORAGE IN DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS

The pharmacokinetics of atracurium are not altered by impaired hepatic function. The drug is therefore used widely in liver transplant patie nts. In previous work on the hepatotoxic effects of atracurium in an i solated, perfused rat liver model, we could nor detect biochemical (re lease of lactate dehydrogenase or aspartate aminotransferase) or histo logical evidence of liver cell damage, except a reduction in hepatic t issue ATP content. In the present study, rat livers were reperfused wi th Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer with or without atracurium after 21 h of cold ischaemic storage in University of Wisconsin (UW), Brets chneider's HTK or Eurocollins solution. UW-protected livers showed a c omplete restoration of ATP, total adenine nucleotides and energy charg e during reperfusion, but the addition of atracurium diminished the re generation capacity to about 50%. The energy charge (an index for dete rmination of liver viability) was also reduced markedly.