Trophism and Homeostasis of Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Graft Cells during Preservation, with and without Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion
Francesco Vasuri,
Giuliana Germinario,
Carmen Ciavarella,
Michele Carroli,
Ilenia Motta,
Sabrina Valente,
Matteo Cescon,
Antonia D’Errico,
Gianandrea Pasquinelli,
Matteo Ravaioli
Affiliations
Francesco Vasuri
Pathology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Giuliana Germinario
Department of General Surgery and Transplantation, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Carmen Ciavarella
Clinical Pathology, Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine Department (DIMES), University of Bologna, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Michele Carroli
Pathology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Ilenia Motta
Clinical Pathology, Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine Department (DIMES), University of Bologna, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Sabrina Valente
Clinical Pathology, Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine Department (DIMES), University of Bologna, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Matteo Cescon
Department of General Surgery and Transplantation, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Antonia D’Errico
Pathology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Gianandrea Pasquinelli
Clinical Pathology, Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine Department (DIMES), University of Bologna, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Matteo Ravaioli
Department of General Surgery and Transplantation, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, 40138 Bologna, Italy
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the homeostasis and trophism of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) in vivo in different stages of liver graft donation, in order to understand the effects of graft ischemia and perfusion on LSEC activity in liver grafts. Special attention was paid to grafts that underwent hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE). Forty-seven donors were prospectively enrolled, and two distinct biopsies were performed in each case: one allocation biopsy (at the stage of organ allocation) and one post-perfusion biopsy, performed after graft implant in the recipients. In all biopsies, immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR analyses were carried out for the endothelial markers CD34, ERG, Nestin, and VEGFR-2. We observed an increase in CD34 immunoreactivity in LSEC during the whole preservation/perfusion period (p p < 0.001). An inverse correlation was observed between ERG positivity and donor age. Our results indicate that LSEC trophism is severely depressed in liver grafts, but it is restored after reperfusion in standard conditions. The execution of HOPE seems to improve this recovery, confirming the effectiveness of this machine perfusion technique in restoring endothelial functions.
