The University of Wisconsin's (
UW) solution has been used commonly for current
liver transplantation. However, its effect on the vascular endothelium remains unclear. Experiments were designed to study the effects. Human hepatic arteries harvested from patients with
hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver resection were preserved in 4 degree C physiological
solution (group 1, the content showed on the text) and
UW solution (group 2) for 1 hr. Segments of preserved and control (group 3) hepatic arteries were suspended in organ chamber to measure the isometric force. The relaxations to
acetylcholine (ACH) and
adenosine diphosphate in segments of hepatic artery with endothelium were significantly greater than those segments without endothelium. The maximal relaxation to ACH in arterial segments with endothelium of group 2 was significantly different from those of group 1 and 3 (group 1 to group 3, 82 +/- 2%, 57 +/- 6%, and 83 +/- 4% of the initial tension contracted by neoepinephrine (3 X 10-7 mole/l, P < 0.05). The maximal relaxation to
adenosine diphosphate was similar to the response to ACH. Perfusate
hypoxia (
oxygen tension 30 +/- 5 mmHG) caused endothelium-dependent contraction of the arterial segments (group 1 to group 3, 233 +/- 32%, 276 +/- 35%, and 251 +/- 40% of the initial tension, P < 0.05). Endothelium-independent relaxation and contraction of human hepatic artery to
sodium nitroprusside and
norepinephrine were not altered by
UW solution. In summary, the impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation by
UW solution and prominent endothelium-dependent contraction to
hypoxia of human hepatic artery would favor vasospasm and
thrombus formation after
liver transplantation.