Impact of donor age on the growth of young recipient rats after liver transplantation.
OBJECTIVE
We studied the age-related changes in graft livers, and their impact on post-transplantation liver function and the growth of young recipient rats.


METHODS
Rats aged 11-68 weeks old were studied as controls to assess liver histology, liver function, and body weight. We performed orthotopic liver transplantation using Kamada's cuff technique without arterial reconstruction. Young rats aged 11 weeks were randomized to receive livers from either 11-week-old donors (YD group) or 52-week-old donors (OD group). Recipient rats were killed 0, 8, or 16 weeks after surgery and we assessed the same variables as in the controls.


RESULTS
We confirmed an age-related increase in the average size of hepatocytes and their nuclei. These age-related changes persisted and progressed in the graft liver after transplantation. There were no significant differences in the levels of serum transaminases or total bilirubin between the YD and OD groups, but the serum albumin level was significantly lower in the OD group. The YD group grew normally, whereas the OD group recipients lagged significantly in gaining body weight.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that 52-week-old grafts transplanted into 11-week-old recipients resulted in deficient growth and a decline in serum albumin, suggesting that grafted old livers fail to produce enough protein to meet the demands of growth adequately.
Koh
Motohiro
M
Department of Surgery, Kyoritsu Hospital, Kawanishi, Japan.
Okamoto
Eizo
E
Yamanaka
Junichi
J
Fujimoto
Jiro
J
D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006085:Graft Survival; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D014019:Tissue Donors