The impact of normothermic and hypothermic preservation methods on kidney lipidome-comparative study using chemical...

Normothermic ex vivo kidney perfusion (NEVKP) is designed to replicate physiological conditions to improve graft outcomes. A comparison of the impact of hypothermic and normothermic preservation techniques on graft quality was performed by lipidomic profiling using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) chemical biopsy as a minimally invasive sampling approach.

Direct kidney sampling was conducted using SPME probes coated with a mixed-mode extraction phase in a porcine autotransplantation model of the renal donor after cardiac death, comparing three preservation methods: static cold storage (SCS), NEVKP, and hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP). The lipidomic analysis was done using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a Q-Exactive Focus Orbitrap mass spectrometer.

Chemometric analysis showed that the NEVLP group was separated from SCS and HMP groups. Further in-depth analyses indicated significantly (p < 0.05, VIP > 1) higher levels of acylcarnitines, phosphocholines, ether-linked and longer-chain phosphoethanolamines, triacylglycerols and most lysophosphocholines and lysophosphoethanolamines in the hypothermic preservation group. The results showed that the preservation temperature has a more significant impact on the lipidomic profile of the kidney than the preservation method's mechanical characteristics.

Higher levels of lipids detected in the hypothermic preservation group may be related to ischemia-reperfusion injury, mitochondrial dysfunction, pro-inflammatory effect, and oxidative stress. Obtained results suggest the NEVKP method's beneficial effect on graft function and confirm that SPME chemical biopsy enables low-invasive and repeated sampling of the same tissue, allowing tracking alterations in the graft throughout the entire transplantation procedure.