Bs. Khirabadi et Gm. Fahy, CRYOPRESERVATION OF THE MAMMALIAN KIDNEY .1. TRANSPLANTATION OF RABBIT KIDNEYS PERFUSED WITH EC AND RPS-2 AT 2-4-DEGREES-C, Cryobiology, 31(1), 1994, pp. 10-25
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.