Response to allopurinol pretreatment in a swine model of heart-lung transplantation

The role of allopurinol in the prevention of ischemia-reperfusion injury was assessed in a model of heart-lung transplantation. Fourteen swine were divided into two groups (seven donors and seven recipients). All heart and lung blocks were placed in hypothermic storage after perfusion with cold iso-osmolar cardioplegic solution and modified Collins solution, respectively (t = 8-10 degrees C for heart and t = 16-18 degrees C for lungs). The total ischemic time including the orthotopic transplantation was 6 h. Animals (donors and recipients) were pretreated with allopurinol given orally at a dosage of 50 mg/kg for 4 days. Animals were assessed by monitoring heart and lung function, including extravascular lung water at three time intervals, which included pretransplantation (donor), and 30 min and 2 h posttransplantation (recipient). Erythrocyte peroxidation susceptibility was assessed for 3 days, and surgery was performed on day 4. The malondialdehyde levels determined from erythrocyte exposure to in vitro peroxidative challenge classified three paired donor and recipient animals as responders and four paired donor and recipient animals as nonresponders to the allopurinol pretreatment. A persistent deterioration of lung function was observed over time in nonresponders (p less than .05) (increase of lung water, decrease of partial pressure of oxygen, increase in alveolar-arterial gradient, and decrease in arterial-alveolar tension ratio). Responders showed no significant alterations in lung function. This study in swine, a species devoid of myocardial xanthine oxidase activity, indicates that allopurinol may have a mechanism of action other than xanthine oxidase inhibition in the prevention of ischemia-reperfusion injury. The parallelism between protection of lung function and of red blood cells suggests the involvement of a generalized increase in tissue antioxidant capacity.