CRYOPRESERVATION OF THE MAMMALIAN KIDNEY .1. TRANSPLANTATION OF RABBIT KIDNEYS PERFUSED WITH EC AND RPS-2 AT 2-4-DEGREES-C

The requirements of organ cryopreservation differ from those of conven tional organ preservation. The encouraging results of Karow's group wi th dog kidneys transplanted after perfusion with more than 4 M dimethy l sulfoxide were based on an RPS-2 (renal preservation solution 2) veh icle solution, but transplantation of rabbit kidneys after perfusion w ith RPS-2 has not been reported. We evaluated RPS-2 in comparison to E uro-Collins solution (EC) using a modified technique for rabbit kidney autotransplantation and a computer-based organ perfusion machine desi gned for the introduction and removal of cryoprotective agents. Consis tent success in rabbit kidney transplantation was found to depend on t he anesthetic used, the hydration volumes administered, and direct ure ter-to-ureter anastomosis. RPS-2 was found to be equivalent to EC for short-term (about 5 h) preservation by either perfusion or simple cold storage. However, good results with EC were associated with perfusion at 4 degrees C, recovery being significantly worse at 2 degrees C. In addition, we found that the solitary rabbit kidney is not able to ful ly compensate for the loss of the contralateral kidney, the result bei ng persistent (to 3 weeks) mild elevation of serum creatinine, potassi um, and calcium and persistent moderate reduction of serum phosphate. These results establish perfusates, perfusion conditions, transplantat ion techniques, computer-based perfusion control techniques, and a gen eral clinical baseline that are permissive of further direct experimen ts on cryoprotectant introduction and removal. (C) 1994 Academic Press , Inc.