EVALUATION OF COLD REPERFUSION AS AN INDICATOR OF VIABILITY IN STOREDORGANS - A P-31 NMR-STUDY IN RAT-LIVER

Rat livers were studied during hypothermic resuscitation perfusion usi ng P-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as a viability i ndex. Livers were stored for 48 h after being flushed either with a sy nthetic solution containing plasma-equivalent concentrations of cation s, plus citrate and including gelatin polypeptides as colloid (GC solu tion), or with a modified lactobionate/raffinose [University of Wiscon sin (UWC)] solution. After 48 h in either solution, all NMR-detectable ATP plus ADP had disappeared, inorganic phosphate had increased marke dly and pH in the livers had become acidotic. During cold reperfusion, ATP was resynthesized, inorganic phosphate declined, and pH returned toward normal values. ATP recovery and decrease in tissue inorganic ph osphate were significantly greater (P < 0.02 and P < 0.005, respective ly) after 1 h cold reperfusion with the modified UW compared with repe rfusion with the GC. P-31 NMR spectroscopy was able to detect differen ces in the metabolic responses of livers stored in different solutions , and coupled with cold reperfusion may be a useful indicator of viabi lity. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.