Successful 72-hour cold storage of dog kidneys with UW solution

Effects of three cold-storage solutions on kidney function in dogs were examined with the isolated perfused (IPK) kidney model and the autotransplant model. EuroCollins' (EC) solution, phosphate-buffered sucrose solution, and a new solution developed at the University of Wisconsin (UW) were studied. Kidneys were cold-stored for 48 hr or 72 hr. With the IPK model, cold storage for 48 hr or 72 hr in each of the three solutions caused creatinine clearance to decrease by 80%-90%. More protein was excreted by kidneys stored for 48 hr in PBS solution than by kidneys stored in EC or UW solution; protein excretion after 72 hr of storage was similar for kidneys stored in EC or UW solution. Sodium reabsorption decreased after 48 hr or 72 hr of storage, but was higher in kidneys stored in UW solution (83% and 56%, respectively) than in EC solution (52% and 22%, respectively). With the autotransplant model, 40% of the kidneys were viable after 48-hr storage in PBS solution, but 80% viable when stored in EC solution and 100% were viable when stored in UW solution. All kidneys were viable when stored for 72 hr in UW solution; none were viable when stored for 72 hr in EC solution. These results suggest that UW solution effectively preserves kidneys for 72 hr. We previously reported successful 72-hr pancreas preservation. Recently UW solution was able to preserve canine livers for 30 hr. Thus, this single solution appears to be effective for preserving all intraabdominal organs and may simplify cold storage of organs for transplantation.