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Updated: Oct 21, 2025
Author Spotlight: Utilizing Next-Generation Polymerized Human Hemoglobin for Improved Donor Lung Evaluation and Preservation in Rats
Published on: June 14, 2024
Carbon monoxide as an emerging pharmacological tool to improve lung and liver transplantation protocols
1Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, London Health Sciences Center, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Matthew Mailing Center for Translational Transplant Studies, London Health Sciences Center, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Multi-Organ Transplant Program, Western University, London Health Sciences Center, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Abstract:
Carbon monoxide (CO) has long been considered purely as a toxic gas. It binds to hemoglobin at high concentrations and displaces oxygen from its binding site, resulting in carboxyhemoglobin formation, which reduces oxygen-carrying capacity of blood and culminates in tissue hypoxia and its associated complications. Recently, however, CO is quickly moving past its historic notorious tag as a poisonous gas to a physiological signaling molecule with therapeutic potentials in several clinical situations including transplant-induced injury. This review discusses current knowledge of CO gas and CO-releasing molecules (CO-RMs) in preclinical models of lung and liver transplantation, and underlying molecular mechanisms of cyto- and organ protection during organ procurement, preservation, implantation and post-transplant periods. In addition, a discussion of the future of CO in clinical organ transplantation is provided.
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