Pyruvate is Superior to Glucose in Supporting Metabolism of Machine Perfused Donor Hearts for Transplantation

Michael Cobert¹, Matthias Peltz¹, Matthew Merritt², LaShondra West¹, Michael E. Jessen¹

Machine perfusion preservation appears to be a useful strategy for donor heart preservation prior to transplantation. An exogenous substrate in the preservation solution may limit depletion of endogenous energy stores and further improve donor heart preservation. We compared carbon-13 labeled glucose and pyruvate as metabolic substrates for the stored heart using 1H and 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We demonstrated that pyruvate, even at low concentrations, is effective in supporting the metabolic demands of the cold perfused heart. These findings may have important implications for increasing the cardiac donor pool and improving results of heart transplantation.