IN SITU AND PILOT ORGAN PERFUSION TECHNIQUES FOR THE STUDY OF METABOLIC DYNAMICS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Two techniques for organ perfusion with blood are described which provide a basis for exploring metabolic or endocrine dynamics. The technique of in situ perfusion with autogenous arterial blood is suitable for glands or small organs which receive a small fraction of the animal's cardiac output; thus, test stimulatory or inhibitory substances can be added to the perfusing blood and undergo sufficient dilution in systemic blood after passage through the perfused organ so that recirculation does not compromise experimental control over test substance concentration in the perfusate. Experimental studies with the in situ perfused adrenal are described. The second technique, termed the pilot organ method, is suitable for organs which receive a large fraction of the cardiac output, such as the liver. Vascular connections are made between the circulation of an intact, anaesthetized large (> 30 kg) dog and the liver of a small (< 3 kg) dog. The small dog's liver (pilot liver) is excised and floated in a bath of canine ascites, and its venous effluent is continuously returned to the large dog. Test substances are infused into either the hepatic artery or portal vein of the pilot liver, but the small size of the pilot liver and its blood flow in relation to the large dog minimize recirculation effects. A number of functional parameters of the pilot liver are described.