Long-term Effects of Hypothermic Ex Situ Perfusion on Skeletal Muscle Metabolism, Structure, and Force Generation After Transplantation

In this study, we investigated the long-term effects of the HESP on skeletal muscle metabolism, structure, and force generation and compared it with the current standard of preservation. Methods. Forty male Lewis rats (250 ± 25 g) were divided into 5 groups, including naive control, sciatic nerve transection or repair, immediate transplantation, SCS, and HESP. For the SCS group, limbs were preserved at 4°C for 6 hours. In the HESP group, limbs were continuously perfused with oxygenated histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution at 10–15°C for 6 hours. Hemodynamic and biochemical parameters of perfusion were recorded throughout the experiment. At 12 weeks, electromyography and muscle force measurements (maximum twitch and tetanic forces) were obtained along with muscle samples for histology and metabolomics analysis. Results. Histology demonstrated 48% myocyte injury in the HESP group compared with 49% in immediate transplantation (P = 0.96) and 74% in the SCS groups (P
Source: Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Tags: Original Basic Science–General Source Type: research