[Protection of hypothermic rat liver against gentle manipulation injury]

Hypothermic preservation can increase hepatocyte sensitivity to various insults. Here we studied the hypothesis that hepatocytes are injured by manipulation with cold-preserved liver. Livers from Wistar rats were divided into two groups. In the 1st group (n = 6) the livers were placed after harvesting into a polyethylene (PE) bag. After the preservation period they were placed into the perfusion chamber--developed in our laboratory. Connection of livers from PE bag to the perfusion chamber required a contact manipulation with the liver. This contact manipulation was eliminated in the second group of livers (n = 6) by using the perfusion chamber for preservation. Lavage and perfusion were done in both groups under the same conditions. We found in the lavage solution of livers of the 1st group 2-times more LDH and 3.7-times higher release of TNF-alpha compared to the 2nd group. Further, bile flow of livers from the 1st group during reperfusion was significantly lower compared to the 2nd group (0.179 +/- 0,12 vs 0.398 +/- 0.15 ml/min/g liver). Manipulation with hypothermic liver leads to hepatocyte injury. Our new model of chamber can protect hypothermic liver against manipulation injury and can allow to perform physiological and pharmacological experiments on liver ex vivo.