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Characterization and reduction of ischemia/reperfusion injury after experimental pancreas transplantation

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Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery

Abstract

Reperfusion injury after pancreas transplantation is a cause of early graft pancreatitis. The aim of this study was to quantify pancreatic microcirculation after pancreas transplantation in correlation with cold ischemia time. In a second step the effect of N-acetylcysteine on reperfusion damage was tested. Pancreas transplantation was performed in three different groups of male Lewis rats. Groups 1 and 2 received no special treatment. Cold ischemia time was 1.5 hours in group 1 and 16 hours in groups 2 and 3. In group 3 donor and recipient were both treated with N-acetylcysteine (300 mg/kg) 1.5 hours after reperfusion graft microcirculation was quantified by means of intravital microscopy. Rhodamine-labeled leukocytes, fluoroscein isothiocyanate-labeled erythrocytes, and fluoroscein isothiocyanate-albumin were used as fluorochromes. After a cold ischemia time of 16 hours, functional capillary density, erythrocyte velocity, and leukocyte-endothelium interaction were reduced significantly compared to a cold ischemia time of 1.5 hours (P <0.05). After 16 hours of cold ischemia, treatment with N-acetylcysteine improved all of these parameters (P ≤ 0.05). Ischemia/reperfusion injury after experimental pancreas transplantation is characterized by a disturbance of the pancreatic microcirculation exhibiting a correlation with the duration of cold ischemia. Treatment of donor and recipient with N-acetylcysteine resulted in prevention of cold ischemia-induced microcirculatory disturbance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery, Department of Experimental Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Martha Maria Gebhard M.D.

  2. Department of Surgery, Im Neuenneimer Feld 110, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Herbert Mayer M.D.

Authors
  1. Herbert Mayer M.D.
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  2. Jan Schmidt M.D.
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  3. Jochen Tbies M.D.
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  4. Eduard Ryschich M.D.
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  5. Martha Maria Gebhard M.D.
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  6. Christian Herfarth M.D.
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  7. Ernst Klar M.D.
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Additional information

Supported by "Forschungsschwerpunkt Transplantation," Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

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Mayer, H., Schmidt, J., Tbies, J. et al. Characterization and reduction of ischemia/reperfusion injury after experimental pancreas transplantation. J Gastrointest Surg 3, 162–166 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1091-255X(99)80027-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1091-255X(99)80027-4

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