Nebulized N-Acetyl Cysteine Protects the Pulmonary Graft Inside the Non–Heart-Beating Donor

Background: The use of lungs from non–heart-beating donors (NHBD) might significantly alleviate the organ shortage. The tolerable warm ischemic period after cardiac arrest, however, is limited to approximately 1 hour. If the lung could be safely protected inside the cadaver, this time period may be prolonged. This would help to obtain family consent and to organize organ retrieval. Methods: Pigs (30.8 ± 0.6 kg) were killed, left untouched for 3 hours, and divided into 3 groups. Nebulized N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) (300 mg), a precursor of the antioxidant agent glutathione, was administered during 10 minutes before death in Group I (NAC-NHBD, n = 6) and 15 minutes after death in Group II (NHBD-NAC, n = 6). In the control group, no aerosol was administered (NHBD, n = 6). After a warm ischemic interval of 3 hours, both lungs in all groups were topically cooled for 1 hour. Thereafter, the left lung was prepared for evaluation in an isolated reperfusion circuit. Hemodynamic, aerodynamic, and oxygenation parameters were measured. Wet-to-dry weight ratio (W/D) was calculated after reperfusion. The right lung was used to measure reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) levels (μmol/g) in lung homogenates and total protein levels in bronchial lavage fluid. Results: Pulmonary vascular resistance, mean airway pressure, and W/D were significantly decreased in NAC-NHBD (1930 ± 144 Dynes · sec · cm−5, 14.2 ± 0.5 cm H2O, and 7.4 ± 0.4; p < 0.01, 0.01, and 0.05, respectively) and NHBD-NAC (1837 ± 180 Dynes · sec · cm−5, 13.3 ± 1.2 cm H2O, and 7.3 ± 0.3; p < 0.01, 0.05, and 0.05, respectively) when compared with the control group (5051 ± 530 Dynes · sec · cm−5, 17 ± 0.4 cm H2O, 8.5 ± 0.1, respectively). GSH/GSSG ratio was significantly higher and protein levels were significantly lower in NAC-NHBD (1.7 ± 0.1 and 1315 ± 60 μg/ml; p < 0.05 and 0.05, respectively) and NHBD-NAC (1.7 ± 0.2 and 1475 ± 159 μg/ml; p < 0.05 and 0.05, respectively) when compared with the control group (1.2 ± 0.1 and 2150 ± 200 μg/ml). Conclusions: Nebulized NAC administered before or shortly after death attenuates early ischemia reperfusion injury via upregulation of glutathione. NAC might be a promising tool to protect the pulmonary graft from both controlled and uncontrolled NHBD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]