Brain death: from inflammation to metabolic changes

Organ transplantation is an excellent opportunity for patients with end-stage organ failure. However, the number of patients that are still on the waiting list indicates the necessity to increase the number of organs suitable for transplantation. Most organs for transplantation are retrieved from brain-dead donors. However, brain death (BD) has been shown to negatively affect organ quality. This thesis shows the effects of BD in liver and kidney tissue and tested a number of therapies in attempt to counter these negative effects induced by BD. We show that both the liver and kidney suffer from BD-induced injury. However, the mechanism for this injury seems to differ between individual organs. We found that whilst the kidney is suffering from a decrease in oxygen delivery and blood flow, the liver is actively consuming oxygen with no change in blood delivery. More insights into the injury mechanisms specific for each organ could help us to improve donor care and potentially increase the number of organs suitable for transplantation.