ORGAN PRESERVATION BY CURCUMIN+EURO-COLLINS IS EQUIVALENT TO UNIV. OF WISCONSIN SOLUTION IN BOTH IN-VIVO AND EX-VIVO MODELS

Abstract

440 Curcumin (CUR), a component of the spice turmeric, enhances hypothermic organ preservation. Here we demonstrate both this enhancement for Euro-Collins (EC) solution in both an ex-vivo model of liver preservation and in-vivo model of heterotopic heart transplantation, making EC equivalent to University of Wisconsin (UW) solution in both models. Ex-Vivo: Sprague-Dawley rat livers underwent oxygenated perfusion after being flushed with different preservation solutions: UW or EC±100 μM CUR solution and stored at 4°C for 24 hours (10 in each group). The livers in the normal (NL) group (10) were immediately perfused. The livers were then perfused for 120′ via the portal vein with 37°C oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution at 18 cm H2O; flow rates, measured serially and shown here as the maximal rates (cc/gm-min). Bile production rates (μl/gm-min) and liver enzyme (AST, ALT-U/gm) release into the perfusate were also measured over the 120 minute perfusion. (Table 1)Table 1In-Vivo: To study the in-vivo effects of CUR in a vascularized transplant, we used a well-established heterotopic rat heart transplant model. Following procurement, rat hearts were flushed with either EC or UW solution alone or EC or UW solution containing 80 mg/l CUR. Each group was stored at 4°C for 12 (6 per group) or 18 (10 per group) hours, then transplanted into another rat using standard microsurgical techniques. Graft function was evaluated daily by palpation. Because the transplants were performed between animals of the same strain, no immunosuppression was used. Results: long-term (>7 days) graft survival; §p<0.05 vs. EC, T-test (Student) (Table 2)Table 2In both the ex-vivo perfusion model and the in-vivo transplant model, the addition of CUR to EC enhanced its organ preserving properties, making it the equivalent of UW.