PGE(1), dexamethasone, U-74389G, or Bt(2)-cAMP as an additive to promote protection by UW solution in I/R injury

A method to reduce ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury can be an important criterion to improve the preservation solution. Although University of Wisconsin solution (UW) works as a lung preservation solution, its attenuation effect on I/R injury has not been investigated. We attempted to determine whether, by adding various protective agents, modified UW solutions will enhance the I/R attenuation by UC;V. We examined the I/R injury in an isolated rat lung model. Various solutions, e.g., physiological salt solution (PSS), Um! and modified UW solutions containing various protective agents such as prostaglandin E-1, dexamethasone, U-74389G, or dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate were perfused individually to evaluate the I/R injury. Isolated rat lung experiments, with ischemia for 45 min, then reperfusion for 60 min, were conducted in a closed circulating system. Hemodynamic changes, lung weight gain (LWG), capillary filtration coefficient (K-fc), protein content of lavage fluid, concentration of cytokines, and lung histopathology were analyzed. Results showed that the acute YR lung injury with immediate permeability pulmonary edema was associated with an increase in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production. A significant correlation existed between TNF-alpha and K-fc (r = 0.8, P < 0.0001) and TNF-alpha and LWG (r = 0.9, P < 0.0001), indicating that TNF-alpha is an important cytokine modulating early I/R injury. Significantly lower levels of K-fc, LWG, TNF-alpha, and protein concentration of lung lavage (P < 0.05) were found in the UW-perfused group than in the control group perfused with PSS. Modified UW promoted the protective effect of UW to further decrease K-fc, LWG, and TNF-alpha (P < 0.05). Histopathological observations also substantiated this evidence. In the UW+U-74389G group, bronchial alveolar lavage fluid contained lowest protein concentration. We conclude that the UW solution attenuates I/R injury of rat lung and that the modified UW solutions further enhance the effect of UW in reducing I/R injury. Among modified solutions, UW + U-74389G is the best. Further investigation of the improved effects of the modified UW solutions would be beneficial in lung transplantation.