Machine perfusion at 20 °C reduces preservation damage to livers from non-heart beating donors

We previously reported that machine perfusion (MP) performed at 20 °C enhanced the preservation of steatotic rat livers. Here, we tested whether rat livers retrieved 30 min after cardiac arrest (NHBDs) were better protected by MP at 20 °C than with cold storage. We compared the recovery of livers from NHBDs with organs obtained from heart beating donors (HBDs) preserved by cold storage. MP technique: livers were perfused for 6 h with UW-G modified at 20 °C. Cold storage: livers were perfused in situ and preserved with UW solution at 4 °C for 6 h. Both MP and cold storage preserved livers were reperfused with Krebs-Heinselet buffer (2 h at 37 °C). AST and LDH release and mitochondrial glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) levels were evaluated. Parameters assessed included: bile production and biliary enzymes; tissue ATP; reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG); protein–SH group concentration. Livers preserved by MP at 20 °C showed significantly lower hepatic damage at the end of reperfusion compared with cold storage. GDH release was significantly reduced and bile production, ATP levels, GSH/GSSG and protein–SH groups were higher in livers preserved by MP at 20 °C than with cold storage. The best preserved morphology and high glycogen content was obtained with livers submitted to MP at 20 °C. Liver recovery using MP at 20 °C was comparable to recovery with HBDs. MP at 20 °C improves cell survival and gives a better-quality of preservation for livers obtained from NHBDs and may provide a new method for the successful utilization of marginal livers.