title: Dopamine improves hypothermic machine preservation of the liver.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hypothermic machine preservation (HMP) is currently reconsidered as alternative to standard cold storage of organs from non-heart-beating donors. The present study was aimed at investigating the possible synergistic effect of HMP and the addition of dopamine to the circulating perfusate during preservation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiac arrest was induced in male Wistar rats (250-300 g) by phrenotomy. Thirty minutes later livers were flushed via the portal vein and subjected to 20 h of HMP at 5ml/min at 4°C. During HMP the preservation solution was equilibrated with 100% oxygen and dopamine was added at 0, 10, 50 or 100 μM (D0, D10, D50, D100; n=6 resp.). Graft viability was assessed thereafter upon warm reperfusion in vitro for 2h.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During HMP, D50 and D100 significantly reduced hepatic release of ALT to about 50%. No influence of dopamine was found on vascular resistance, oxygen uptake or lactate production at any concentration. D50 significantly reduced enzyme release during reperfusion (∼50%), enhanced bile flow and oxygen consumption. D10 was less effective while D100 even rose enzyme release compared with D0. Enhanced oxygen free radical mediated lipid peroxidation (LPO), found in the tissue of D0 livers was significantly reduced by D50; D50 significantly abrogated molecular upregulation of vWillebrand factor upon reperfusion suggesting vascular protection of the endothelial cell.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Efficiency of HMP might be increased by stimulating livers with dopamine during ex vivo preservation, limiting vascular side effects and improving functional recovery upon early reperfusion.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Research Division, University Clinic of Surgery, Bonn, Germany. minor@uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Minor
authors.forename: Bastian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lüer
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Efferz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004298:Dopamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000379:methods; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009926:Organ Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D019188:Organ Preservation Solutions / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011309:Preservation, Biological; D051381:Rats; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D019188:Organ Preservation Solutions; D004298:Dopamine