A free radical scavenger, edaravone, prevents ischemia-reperfusion injury in liver grafts from non-heart-beating donors.

BACKGROUND

Due to the increase in liver transplantation, the donor shortage has become a serious problem, requiring marginal, non-heart-beating donors (NHBDs). The aims of this study were to evaluate the cytoprotective effect of edaravone, a free radical scavenger, on warm ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury of liver grafts from NHBDs.

METHODS

Rat livers were harvested from heart-beating donors (HB group) or from NHBDs undergoing cardiac arrest for 30 minutes led by thoracotomy (NHB group), and reperfused for 60 minutes with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer after cold preservation for 6 hours. In another group (ED group), warm ischemic livers from NHBDs were reperfused with buffer containing edaravone (1 mg/L) after cold preservation.

RESULTS

In the ED group, portal flow volume, bile production, and energy charge were significantly ameliorated. Lipid peroxidation, elevation of hepatic enzymes, and release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 beta were significantly alleviated, compared with the NHB group.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggested that edaravone has suppressive effects on warm I/R injury in liver grafts from NHBDs.