Improved long-term graft survival after HO-1 induction in brain-dead donors

Am J Transplant. 2006 Mar;6(3):477-86. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2005.01208.x.

Abstract

Brain death (BD) of the donor, a risk factor uniquely relevant for organs derived from cadaver donors, influences organ quality by induction of various inflammatory events. Consequently ischemia/reperfusion injury is deteriorated and acute and chronic rejections accelerated. Donor treatment might be an approach to improve the quality of the graft. The induction of heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) has been shown to exert beneficial effects in living-donor transplantation models. Therefore, we examined the impact of donor treatment with the selective inducer of HO-1, cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP), on organ quality and transplant outcome in a standardized BD model in a F344-->LEW kidney transplant rat model. Immediately after BD induction, donor animals were administered a single dose of CoPP (5 mg/kg) and in control groups, HO-1 activity was blocked with zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP, 20 mg/kg). Recipients of organs from brain-dead donors treated with CoPP survived significantly better than those from untreated brain-dead donors (p < 0.05) and intra-graft analysis showed improved histology (p < 0.05). Blockade of HO-1 with ZnPP decreased the survival rates (p < 0.05) comparable to untreated brain-dead donors. Our results demonstrate that HO-1 induction by one single treatment of CoPP in brain-dead donors leads to enhanced allograft survival.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain Death*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Graft Rejection / enzymology
  • Graft Rejection / pathology
  • Graft Rejection / prevention & control
  • Graft Survival / drug effects
  • Graft Survival / physiology*
  • Heme Oxygenase-1 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Heme Oxygenase-1 / metabolism*
  • Kidney Transplantation*
  • Prognosis
  • Protoporphyrins / pharmacology
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred F344
  • Rats, Inbred Lew
  • Risk Factors
  • Time Factors
  • Tissue Donors*

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Protoporphyrins
  • zinc protoporphyrin
  • cobaltiprotoporphyrin
  • Heme Oxygenase-1