Involvement of oxygen in harvesting injury of the liver. An experimental study including substrate free organ persufflation to evaluate a specific therapeutic approach.
The present study was undertaken to assess the role of oxygen free radicals relating to cell damage upon reoxygenation of the ischemically altered isolated rat liver. Livers were excised and flushed via the portal vein with Ringer's solution and Euro-Collins solution, to which superoxide dismutase (SOD) was added in the experimental group. After warm ischemia at 37 degrees C and cold storage at 4 degrees C, the livers were reperfused via the portal vein with carbogen-saturated Krebs-Henseleit solution. Other livers were subjected to a retrograde persufflation via the infrahepatic caval vein with either oxygen or nitrogen and then rinsed with Ringer's solution. During reperfusion, SOD-treated livers showed markedly reduced vascular resistance, lower enzyme release and enhanced VO2 accordingly, energy charge at the end of reperfusion was significantly higher in the treated group. With reference to the tissue content of malondialdehyde, SOD-treated livers showed significantly less damage than the corroboration for these data. Enzyme activities in the eluate were significantly reduced under anoxic conditions as well as in the presence of SOD. We conclude from these data that oxygen free radicals do exert a detrimental impact on the reoxygenated liver, which could be specifically suppressed by application of exogenous SOD.
Institut for Experimental Medicine, University of Cologne, Federal Republic of Germany.
T
T
Minor
W
W
Isselhard
G
G
Kunz
S
S
Saad
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005609:Free Radicals; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000494:pharmacology
D005609:Free Radicals; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D010100:Oxygen