Resveratrol Prevents Warm Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury in Liver Grafts From Non–Heart-Beating Donor Rats

• We investigated the effects of resveratrol on warm I/R injury in rats.
• We revealed the cytoprotective effect of resveratrol on NHBD grafts.
• Resveratrol could reduce inflammatory cytokines on NHBD grafts.
• Resveratrol increased the value of ATP contents on NHBD grafts.
• Resveratrol preserved microcirculation of liver grafts subjected to warm I/R injury.

BackgroundSuccessful liver transplantation from non–heart-beating donors (NHBDs) might enlarge donor source. Some studies have reported that resveratrol (RES), an activator of sirtuins, has cytoprotective effects on ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of RES on warm I/R injury in rats.MethodsMale Wister rats were divided into 5 groups: (1) the heart-beating (HB) group, whose livers were retrieved from HB donors; (2) the NHB group, whose livers were retrieved under apnea-induced NHB conditions; (3) the ethanol group, retrieved in the same manner as the NHB group with ethanol (10 μL) as a solvent; (4) the RES-1 group, retrieved in the same manner as the NHB group and pretreated with RES (0.4 mg/kg, dissolved in 10 μL ethanol); and (5) the RES-2 group, retrieved in the same manner as the NHB group and pretreated with RES (2 mg/kg, dissolved in 10 μL ethanol). The resected livers were perfused for 60 minutes with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer after 6 hours of cold preservation, after which the perfusate and liver tissues were investigated.ResultsThe bile production, portal vein flow volume, tumor necrosis factor-α level, and adenosine triphosphate level in the RES-2 group were significantly improved compared with in the NHB group. Histology revealed numerous well-preserved sinusoidal endothelial cells in the RES-2 group.ConclusionsRES might reduce warm I/R injury and improve the viability of liver grafts from NHBDs. We considered that this method may represent a promising approach for clinical liver transplantation from NHBDs.