Preconditioning of donors with interleukin-10 reduces hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury after liver transplantation in pigs.
BACKGROUND
Graft ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) resulting from postreperfusion inflammatory reaction remains a major cause of complications after liver transplantation. In this article, the authors investigated the effect of anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 on IRI, in a preclinical model of liver transplantation in pigs.


METHODS
Donor pigs received IL-10 or saline at the start of liver graft harvesting. After 5 hr of cold ischemia, liver grafts were transplanted into untreated recipient pigs. IRI severity was measured in recipients by transaminase release and by cellular infiltration and necrosis on liver biopsy specimens.


RESULTS
Donor IL-10 administration attenuated IRI, as indicated by significant reduction of mean peak of transaminase in recipients of grafts from IL-10-treated donors. In contrast, no significant differences in cell infiltration or amount of necrosis were observed on liver biopsy specimens between groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Donor preconditioning with IL-10 may constitute an interesting pharmacologic approach to reduce IRI severity after liver transplantation.
Donckier
Vincent
V
Medicosurgical Department of Hepatogastroenterology, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. vdonckie@ulb.ac.be.
Loi
Patricia
P
Closset
Jean
J
Nagy
Nathalie
N
Quertinmont
Eric
E
Le Moine
Olivier
O
Devière
Jacques
J
Goldman
Michel
M
Gelin
Michel
M
Gianello
Pierre
P
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013552:Swine; D014019:Tissue Donors
D016753:Interleukin-10; D000410:Alanine Transaminase