Protective effect of exogenous ATP on transplanted pancreas in rats and its mechanism

    NIU Wanª²Cheng, LI Xi

    Department of General Surgery, PLA 97 Hospital, Xuzhou 221004, China

    ¡¾Abstract¡¿ AIM: To study the protective effect of exogenous adenosine triphosphate(ATP) on transplanted pancreas in rats and its mechanism. METHODS: The allogeneic male SD rat models of heterotopic whole pancreaticoduodenal transplantation were established. The isolated pancreas of rats was perfused and stored with calparine balanced solution in which ATP was added as an additive agent in ATP group. No ATP was added to calparine balanced solution in control group. The organs were stored at 0-4¡æ for 60 min in both groups. Blood sugar£¬plasma concentrations of amylase and lipase were examined and histological observation was performed at 0, 1, 6 and 12 h after reperfusion. The concentration of ATP in pancreatic tissue was determined. The percentages of normal, apoptotic and oncotic cells were measured. RESULTS: Light microscopic observation showed that histomorphological changes of pancreas in ATP group were much milder than those in control group. The blood sugar concent, plasma concentrations of amylase and lipase were significantly lower in ATP group than those in control group at 6, 12 h after reperfusion(blood sugar, lipase, P<0.05; amylase, P<0.01). Tissue concentration of ATP in ATP group was higher than that in control group at 0, 1 h after reperfusion(P<0.01). The percentage of oncotic cells was significantly lower in ATP group than that in control group at all time points after reperfusion (0, 1, 6 h, P<0.01; 12 h, P<0.05). Tissue concentration of ATP had a significant negative correlation with the percentage of oncotic cells(r=-0.756, P<0.01), but no evident correlation with the percentage of apoptotic cells. CONCLUSION: Exogenous ATP has a protective effect on transplanted pancreas in rats. The mechanism of the protective effect maybe lies in that ATP can decrease the percentage of oncotic cells. ......