THE ROLE OF SELENIUM ADDED TO PULMONARY PRESERVATION SOLUTIONS IN ISOLATED GUINEA-PIG LUNGS

An experimental comparative study on isolated guinea pig lungs has bee n undertaken to determine the probable beneficial effects of adding se lenium to pulmonary preservation solutions in lung ischemia. The isola ted lungs (n = 10 in each group) previously being perfused by oxygenat ed Krebs-Henseleit solution were put in normothermic ischemic conditio ns just after the infusion of 30 ml of pulmonary preservation solution (Euro-Collins in the control group, Euro-Collins plus selenium 10(-3) mol in the experiment group). After 3 hours of normothermic ischemia the lungs were reperfused with the same buffer for 20 minutes. Pulmona ry artery pressures, tissue malondialdehyde levels, and adenosine deam inase levels of the perfusate were measured before and after the ische mic period and also at the end of reperfusion. An electron microscopic analysis was performed on the lung tissues at the end of the experime ntal procedure. According to our data, the addition of selenium to pul monary preservation solution showed a significant protective effect re garding both ischemic and reperfusion injury.