Different susceptibility of liver grafts from lean and obese Zucker rats to preservation injury.

We compared the susceptibility of liver grafts from lean and obese Zucker rats to preservation injury, using two organ-preservation techniques: conventional static preservation (SP) and machine perfusion (MP) preservation. SP: livers preserved by UW solution at 4, 8 or 20 degrees C for 6-h. MP: livers perfused for 6-h with an improved oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution (KH) at 4, 8 or 20 degrees C. Reperfusion with KH (2-h) was performed either with the SP or MP preserved livers. Fatty livers tolerate SP poorly at 4, 8 and 20 degrees C as compared with MP at the same temperatures. SP induced a decrease in the ATP/ADP ratio both at 8 and 20 degrees C in obese rats while an increase in energy status was found with MP at 8 and 20 degrees C. Nitrate/nitrite (NOx) concentration was higher and bile flow lower in livers preserved with SP than MP. In lean rats, no differences were observed between MP and SP as regards enzyme release, bile production and NOx levels except for SP at 20 degrees C in which high enzyme release and low bile flow were observed. In lean rats ATP/ADP was higher and NOx was lower with MP at 20 degrees C than with SP at 20 degrees C. To optimize steatotic liver preservation SP should be avoided because it is particularly detrimental as compared with MP.