Effects of different storage solutions on renal ischemia tolerance after kidney transplantation in mice

Cold storage is the most prevalent method for graft preservation in kidney transplantation (KTX). The protective effects of various preservation solutions have been studied extensively in both clinical trials and experimental animal models. However, a paucity of studies have examined the effect of different preservation solutions on graft function in mouse KTX; in addition, the tolerance of the transplanted grafts to further insult has not been evaluated, which was the objective of the present study. We performed mouse KTX in three groups, with the donor kidneys preserved in different solutions for 60 min: saline, mouse serum, and University of Wisconsin (UW) solution. The graft functions were assessed by kidney injury markers and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The grafts that were preserved in UW solution exhibited better functions, reflected by 50 and 70% lower plasma creatinine levels as well as 30 and 55% higher plasma creatinine levels in GFR than serum and saline groups, respectively, during the first week after transplants. To examine the graft function in response to additional insult, we induced ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) by clamping the renal pedicle for 18 min at 4 wk after KTX. We found that the grafts preserved in UW solution exhibited similar to 30 and 20% less injury assessed by kidney injury markers and histology than in other two preservation solutions. Taken together, our results demonstrated that UW solution exhibited a better protective effect in transplanted renal grafts in mice. UW solution is recommended for use in mouse KTX for reducing confounding factors such as IRI during surgery.