31P nuclear magnetic resonance evaluation of rat liver preserved in UW solution.

A persistent problem in orthotopic liver transplantation is primary nonfunction (PNF) of the hepatic allograft. In an attempt to reduce the incidence of graft failure, the feasibility of pretransplant assessment of graft viability was investigated by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The level of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was measured as an indicator of liver function by 31P NMR spectroscopy after a 30 min normothermic reperfusion following cold-storage in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution. The mean +/- SD beta-ATP/Pi ratio after preservation for 0, 12, 24 or 48 h was 1.40 +/- 0.34, 0.85 +/- 0.27, 0.64 +/- 0.14 and 0.38 +/- 0.09, respectively. Significance was observed between 12h and 24h and between 12h and 48h of preservation. These results correlated well with the morphological changes in endothelial cells and sinusoidal lining cells examined by transmission electron microscopy. It is suggested strongly that microcirculatory disturbances due to endothelial cell injury impairs the recovery of ATP levels after reperfusion, and that ATP determination by 31P NMR spectroscopy, as a non-invasive modality, may help in the prediction of PNF after liver transplantation.