title: [Application of aging donors in rat liver transplantation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the application of donor livers from aging rats, and discuss the age limit of the donor rats liver transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Arterialized, two-cuff technique orthotopic liver transplantation was performed in male Wistar rats. All the recipient rats were 5 months old, and the ages of the donor rats were 5 (group A), 17 (group B), 20 (group C), 23 (group D), and 26 (group E) months (n=12). The postoperative function recovery and pathological changes of the liver grafts were evaluated by serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) detection and histopathological examination, and the 3-month survival rate of the rats was observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Aging liver grafts in groups B, C, and D caused early elevation of ALT peak level and aggravation of liver tissue damage, and the liver graft recovery was delayed until postoperative day 7. Mild liver fibrosis, reduced hepatocytes and pigment deposition were observed in the liver grafts before the transplantation. Compared with the other groups, the rats in group E showed significantly increased ALT levels after the transplantation (P<0.05), with failure of liver graft function recovery and significantly reduced 3-month survival rate (0%, Plt;0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The donor age of the rats is a crucial factor to affect the outcome of the liver grafts. Grafts obtained from rats younger than 23 months allow better functional recovery of the liver.
authors.affiliation: Liver Transplantation Center, Third Affiliated Hospital/Institute of Organ Transplantation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China. xuchi66@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Chi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hui-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Bin-Sheng
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Gui-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014019:Tissue Donors
chemical_list: D000410:Alanine Transaminase