Role of platelet-activating factor in the rat liver after cold preservation and transplantation

Abstract

The present study evaluates the influence of platelet-activating factor antagonism on the recovery of the transplanted rat liver graft after cold preservation and reperfusion. Orthotopic liver transplantation was performed in rats after 24 h of cold preservation in UW-solution. BN52021, a potent and specific platelet-activating factor antagonist, given to the preservation solution and infused to the recipient resulted in significantly reduced serum enzyme levels of the lactate dehydrogenase (1805 ± 150 vs 2740 ± 505 IU/1) as well as the endothelial purine nucleoside phosphorylase (21.9 ± 5.8 vs 30.3 ± 6.6 U/1) during 1 h of reperfusion. Livers treated with BN52021 also produced significantly more bile when compared to untreated livers (14.6 ± 6.6 vs 6.6 ± 3.0 μl/g/60 min). Tissue-associated activity of myeloperoxidase, an index for leukocyte sequestration, increased about 5-fold from preischemic control to the values at the end of 1 h of postischemic reperfusion. However no significant reduction of postischemic leukocyte infiltration could be documented in the BN52021-treated group. It is concluded that PAF antagonist treatment is able to reduce tissue alterations after reperfusion of cold-preserved liver grafts in vivo, which are probably not only due to leukocyte infiltration.