Abstract

Perfluorocarbons (PFC) are hydrocarbons in which all or most of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced with fluorine. PFC have a very high capacity for dissolving oxygen (O2 ), and a negligible oxygen-binding constant allows them to release O2 more effectively than hemoglobin into the surrounding tissue. As a result of this unique property, PFC-based solutions have been examined as oxygen carriers. PFC was first used for organ preservation as a component of the two-layer method (TLM) (University of Wisconsin [UW] solution-perfluorochemical plus oxygen) of pancreas preservation. Pancreata preserved in the TLM are oxygenated through the PFC and substrates are supplied by the UW solution. This allows pancreata stored in the TLM to generate adenosine triphosphate during storage and prolong the preservation period. In the canine model, TLM has been shown to repair and resuscitate warm ischemically injured pancreata during preservation, improve pancreas graft survival after transplantation, and improve islet yields after isolation. Current clinical trials using the TLM of pancreas preservation before whole-pancreas transplantation and islet isolation show promising results. The TLM has also been shown to be beneficial for preserving other difficult organs, such as heart and small bowel.