Development of a cold storage solution for pancreas preservation

Area of Science:

• Organ preservation
• Biochemistry
• Surgical research

Background:

• Pancreas preservation is limited to 6-8 hours using Eurocollins (EC) solution.
• Tissue edema is a major challenge in pancreas preservation.
• Glucose in EC solution contributes to tissue edema.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of different saccharides and anions in preventing pancreas tissue edema.
• To develop improved solutions for long-term pancreas preservation.
• To assess the impact of molecular mass on edema suppression.

Main Methods:

• Canine pancreas tissue slices were incubated at 5°C for 24 hours in solutions with varying saccharides (raffinose, sucrose, mannitol, glucose).
• Tissue water content was measured to quantify edema.
• Intact pancreas storage and reperfusion models were used to assess edema in whole organs.

Main Results:

• Edema was greatest in EC solution (glucose) and decreased with increasing saccharide molecular mass (mannitol, sucrose, raffinose).
• Similar trends were observed with anions, with smaller molecular mass anions (Cl-) causing more edema than larger ones (lactobionate).
• A lactobionate-raffinose solution prevented edema in intact pancreas during normothermic reperfusion, unlike EC solution.

Conclusions:

• Saccharide and anion molecular mass influences tissue edema during cold storage.
• Lactobionate-raffinose solution shows promise for controlling pancreas tissue edema.
• This novel solution may enable extended pancreas preservation (24-72 hours).