Molecular markers of programmed cell death in donor hearts before transplantation

Abstract

Background In this study we investigate whether pro-apoptotic, pro-inflammatory and other early signaling markers indicative of increased propensity for cell death processes were evident in human donor heart allografts immediately before transplantation, and whether there is an association with primary graft failure. Methods A prospective study was performed utilizing donor left atrial myocardium collected at the time of implantation of hearts from brain-dead donors (BDD, n = 29). In addition, to explore the potential of donor hearts from donation after circulatory death (DCD), myocardial samples were obtained during transplantation of lungs from DCD donors (n = 6). A comparator reference gr..