Neuronal and muscular functions as parameters of graft viability in small bowel transplantation

The physiological properties of neurons and smooth muscles were studied after cold preservation of a rat small intestinal graft, in order to evaluate the graft viability before reperfusion. A 25-cm jejunal graft was harvested from a Lewis rat and stored in University of Wisconsin solution for 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hr at 4 degrees C (n = 8, each group). The intestinal samples were physiologically studied at the end of cold preservation. The positive rates of the specimens showing both biphasic nervous activities and spontaneous rhythmic activities were 100, 100, 88, 25, and 0% in 0-, 12-, 48-, and 72-hr preservation groups, respectively. The maximal contractions produced by acethylcholine chloride were 1.12 +/- 0.32, 0.63 +/- 0.22, 0.43 +/- 0.15, 0.52 +/- 0.32, and 0.27 +/- 0.13g for the 0-, 12-, 24-, 48-, and 72-hr preservation groups, respectively. The graft survivals after syngeneic transplantation (n = 6, each group) were 6 out of 6 (100%), 5 out of 6 (83%), 5 out of 6 (83%), 1 out of 6 (17%), and 0 out of 6 (0%) for the 0-, 12-, 24-, 48-, and 72-hr preservation groups, respectively. The graft survival correlated closely with the positive sample rates of the specimens, showing both biphasic nervous activities and spontaneous rhythmic activities. It only took about 1 hr and 20 min to complete the physiological examination of the graft, and thus, such an examination of the graft is considered to be both a simple and a reliable method for predicting graft viability before transplantation.