EFFECT OF GLYCINE ON ISOLATED, PERFUSED RABBIT LIVERS FOLLOWING 48-HOUR PRESERVATION IN UNIVERSITY-OF-WISCONSIN SOLUTION WITHOUT GLUTATHIONE

Glycine has been shown to decrease membrane injury in isolated cells d ue to hypoxia or cold ischemia. The mechanisms of action of glycine ar e not known, but glycine may be useful in organ preservation solutions or in treating recipients of liver transplantation. In this study the isolated. perfused rabbit liver was used to measure how glycine affec ted liver performance after 48-h preservation in University of Wiscons in (UW) solution without added glutathione. UW solution is less effect ive for 48-h liver preservation when glutathione is omitted. Rabbit li vers stored for 48 h without glutathione show a large increase in enzy me release (LDH and AST) from the liver and a reduction in bile produc tion. The addition of 15 mM glycine to UW solution, in place of glutat hione, did not improve bile production or reduce enzyme release. Howev er, infusion of 10 mM glycine into the reperfused liver lowered LDH re lease significantly (from 2383 +/- 562 units/100 g to 1426 +/- 286 uni ts/ 100 g) during the initial reperfusion of the 48-h preserved liver. Hepatamine, a parenteral nutrition solution containing glycine, as we ll as other amino acids, was also effective in lowering LDH release fr om the preserved liver. Although glycine reduced LDH release, it did n ot decrease the amount of AST released from the liver, nor did it impr ove bile production. Thus, we conclude that glycine, either in UW solu tion or given to the liver upon reperfusion, has no significantly bene ficial effect as tested in this model. Further testing of glycine, how ever, should be conducted in an orthotopic transplant model in the rat or dog.