CURCUMIN ENHANCES LIVER PRESERVATION BY UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SOLUTION IN AN EX-VIVO PERFUSION MODEL

Abstract

427 Curcumin (CUR), a component of the spice turmeric, enhances the liver preservation properties of Euro-Collin's (EC) solution, making EC storage for 24 hours at 4°C equivalent to University of Wisconsin (UW) solution or no hypothermic storage (NL) in an ex-vivo perfusion model. It is unclear whether this occurs because CUR replaces a critical component in UW missing from EC. Altematively, CUR might have an entirely novel effect and might be capable of enhancing UW preservation. To assess this, Sprague-Dawley rat livers underwent 2 hours' oxygenated perfusion after being flushed with different preservation solutions. The livers in the normal (NL) group (10) were immediately perfused. The UW group were flushed with UW solution + or − 100 μM CUR and stored for 24, 36, and 48 hours (10 each). During 120-minute periods, during which the liver was perfused via the portal vein with 37°C oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution at 18 cm H2O, flow rates, measured serially and shown here as the mean rates ± SE at 30 and 120 minutes. Bile production rates and liver enzyme (AST, ALT) release into the perfusate were also measured over the 120 minute perfusion. (Table)TableOur results indicate that as the duration of hypothermic storage increased, a distinct enhancement of UW's preservation of flow and bile production was seen with CUR. AST and ALT release, markers of hepatocellular injury, were not significantly changed, suggesting that they are less sensitive markers to preservation injury. CUR may contribute to liver preservation by a mechanism not covered by the components of UW.