Prevention of intimal hyperplasia employing the cavitary two-layer method in allogeneic rat heart transplantation

The development of graft arteriosclerosis is a significant contributor to chronic rejection in organ transplant recipients. The purpose of the present study was to establish whether or not the cavitary two-layer method can prevent graft arteriosclerosis after rat heart transplantation.

F-344 rats served as donors to Lewis recipients. Grafts in the control group (group C) were immediately allotransplanted without preservation. Grafts were also transplanted after cold preservation for 3 h in University of Wisconsin solution (group UW), or employing the cavitary two-layer (CTL) method (group TL). In another group (group W), grafts were subjected to 15-min warm ischemia and then transplanted. Grafts damaged by ischemia were also transplanted after preservation for 3 h using CTL (group WTL). We measured intimal thickening (IT) before transplantation and at 30 and 60 d post-transplant and also assessed the expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs).

At 60 d post-transplant, IT in group WTL was significantly lower than in group W (0.30 ± 0.03 versus 0.45 ± 0.04, respectively). In contrast, no significant changes were observed in the cold storage groups. Expression of HSPs 60 and 70 at 60 d in group WTL (25.40% ± 1.64% and 35.96% ± 2.65%, respectively) was reduced compared with group W (46.07% ± 5.84% and 55.11% ± 1.54%, respectively).

CTL reduces IT induced by warm ischemia in rat heart transplantation, and allows the maintenance of low HSP 60 and 70 expression.