Protective effect of exogenous adenosine triphosphate on hypothermically preserved rat liver.
OBJECTIVE
To clarify the protective effect of exogenous adenosine triphosphate (ATP) on hypothermically preserved rat livers.


METHODS
Establishment of continuous hypothermic machine perfusion model, detection of nucleotides in hepatocytes with HPLC, measurement of activities of LDH and AST in the perfusate, observation of histopathological changes in different experiment groups, and autoradiography were carried out to reveal the underlying mechanism of the protective effect of ATP.


RESULTS
The intracellular levels of ATP and EC decreased rapidly after hypothermic preservation in control group, while a higher ATP and EC level, and a slower decreasing rate were observed when ATP-MgCl(2) was added to the perfusate (P<0.01). As compared with the control group, the activities of LDH and AST in the ATP-MgCl(2) group were lower (P<0.05). Furthermore, more severe hepatocyte damage and neutrophil infiltration were observed in the control group. Radioactive [alpha-(32)P] ATP entered the hypothermically preserved rat hepatocytes.


CONCLUSIONS
Exogenous ATP has a protective effect on rat livers during hypothermical preservation. However, Mg(2+) is indispensable, addition of ATP alone produces no protective effect. The underlying mechanism may be that exogenous ATP enters the hypothermically preserved rat liver cells.
Tan
Xiao-Dong
XD
Department of Surgery II, Kumamoto University Medical School. Honjo 1-1-1, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan. tanxd@hotmail.com
Egami
Hiroshi
H
Wang
Feng-Shan
FS
Ogawa
Michio
M
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D015925:Cryopreservation; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D003451:Cryoprotective Agents; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases