OBJECTIVETo investigate whether the impairment of grafted liver after transplantation was induced by the same inflammatory cells in cold and warm ischemia.

METHODSMale SD rats were divided into two groups randomly, 24 grafted livers in each group were stored for 120 or 240 min at 4 degrees Centigrade Ringer's solution. Also male SD rats were divided into three groups, in which 24 grafted livers in each group were experienced warm ischemia ranged from 90, 120 to 150 min from non-heart-beating donor. The recipients were killed after 1, 3, 6, and 24 hours of transplantation for sample collection.

RESULTSAlong with the prolongation of cold and warm ischemia time, the serum ALT and AST levels were increased gradually after transplantation. Light microscopy showed some necroses in hepatocytes after 3 and 6 hours of transplantation in cold ischemia, and some neutrophilic infiltration in sinusoids. There were a large number of hepatocytes necroses after 3, 6 hours of transplantation in warm ischemia from non-heart-beating donor and a lot of lymphocytic infiltration in sinusoids. The findings in electron microscopy were as the same as those found in light microscopy, and the lymphocytes which infiltrated in sinusoids in warm ischemia were identified as T lymphocytes in electron microscopy.

CONCLUSIONSThe impairment of grafted livers after transplantation seems to be induced by two different inflammatory cells in cold and warm ischemia, that is, neutrophils mediate the cold ischemia-reperfusion, and T lymphocytes mediate the warm ischemia-reperfusion from non-heart-beating donor.