Establishing an economical and widely accessible donation after circulatory death animal abattoir model for lung research using ex vivo lung perfusion

Abstract

Background Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP), is a platform that allows simultaneous testing and treatment of the lungs. However, use of EVLP is costly and requires access to lab animals and accompanying facilities. To increase the use of EVLP for research, we developed a method to perform EVLP using abattoir procured lungs. Furthermore, we were also able to significantly decrease costs. Methods Six pair of lungs were procured from abattoir sheep. The lungs were then flushed and stored in ice for 3 h. A low‐flow (20% of cardiac output) approach, a tidal volume of 6 ml/kg bodyweight and total perfusion time of 3 h were chosen. Perfusion fluids and circuits were self‐made. Lung biopsies, perfusate collection, respiratory values, circulatory pressures were recorded and hourly blood gas analyses were performed. Results Mean pO2 remained stable from 60 min (49.3 ± 7.1 kPa) to 180 min (51.5 kPa ± 8.0), p = 0.66. Pulmonary artery pressure remained ≤15 mm Hg and the left atrial pressure remained between 3 and 5 mm Hg and peak respiratory pressures ≤20 cmH2O. Lactate dehydrogenase increased from start (96.3 ± 56.4 U/L) to the end of perfusion (315.8 ± 85.0 U/L), p < 0.05. No difference was observed in ATP between procurement and post‐EVLP, 129.7 ± 37.4 μmol/g protein to 132.0 ± 23.4 μmol/g, p = 0.92. Conclusions Sheep lungs, acquired from an abattoir, can be ex vivo perfused under similar conditions as lab animal lungs with similar results regarding e.g., oxygenation and ATP restoration. Furthermore, costs can be significantly reduced by making use of this abattoir model. By increasing accessibility and lowering costs for experiments using lung perfusion, more results may be achieved in the field of lung diseases.

Renal cortex microperfusion evaluated by laser speckle contrast imaging in an ex vivo perfused kidney model—A proof‐of‐concept study

“…The perfusate used for the feasibility experiments was for practical reasons based on an acellular perfusate used for ex vivo lung perfusion and modified as in previous renal studies using acellular solutions for ex vivo kidney perfusion 16,17 . Intralipid (250 mL, 20%) was added to the perfusate, providing scattering elements for LSCI 18 .…”

“…The perfusate used for the feasibility experiments was for practical reasons based on an acellular perfusate used for ex vivo lung perfusion and modified as in previous renal studies using acellular solutions for ex vivo kidney perfusion. 16,17 Intralipid (250 mL, 20%) was added to the perfusate, providing scattering elements for LSCI. 18 Perfusate composition: Intralipid 20% (250 mL), demi-water (250 mL), bovine serum albumin (24 g), dextran 40 (2.5 g), NaCl (2.5 g), glucose (0.9 g), KCl (0.17 g), NaH 2 PO 4 (0.725 g), CaCl 2 (0.11 g), MgCl 2 (0.055 g), and NaHCO 3 − (2.52 g).…”

Ex Vivo Optimization of Donor Lungs with Inhaled Sevoflurane during Normothermic Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (VITALISE): A Pilot and Feasibility Study in Sheep

“…Our research group developed a model for testing sheep lungs obtained from a slaughterhouse (Kroon Vlees, Groningen, The Netherlands) [45], which means no additional animals are sacrificed for research. The setup and timeline are visualized in Figure 5.…”