Controlled therapeutic gas delivery systems for quality-improved transplants

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Transplantation Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Therapeutic gases improve organ transplant quality but current methods involve complex machinery or toxic metal complexes.
• Existing gas enrichment techniques pose challenges in handling and potential toxicity risks to the transplant.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel therapeutic gas releasing systems (TGRSs) for controlled delivery of therapeutic gases (carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide) into organ perfusion solutions.
• To overcome the limitations of current methods, ensuring safe and effective gas saturation without introducing contaminants.

Main Methods:

• Development of hermetically sealed containers (TGRSs) designed for controlled gas generation and release.
• Utilizing gas-permeable membranes with tailored thickness to regulate gas release rates into perfusion solutions.
• Assessing the impact of carbon monoxide (CO) enriched perfusion on ischemic rat liver transplants, measuring HMGB1 levels.

Main Results:

• TGRSs enable controlled release of therapeutic gases (CO, H2S) into perfusion solutions without liberating other components.
• Gas release kinetics can be precisely tuned by adjusting membrane properties (number and thickness).
• Significant downregulation of the surrogate biomarker HMGB1 was observed in rat liver transplants perfused with CO-enriched solution compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• TGRSs provide a safe, reliable, and controlled method for generating and releasing therapeutic gases for organ transplantation.
• This technology improves the risk-benefit profile of using therapeutic gases, enhancing future transplant quality.
• The TGRS approach simplifies gas enrichment, addressing safety concerns associated with current methods.