Lipid peroxidation in the cortex and medulla of rabbit kidneys subjected to cold ischaemia and the value of protective agents.

The storage of rabbit kidneys for 24 hr at 0 degrees C in isotonic saline resulted in significantly increased rates of lipid peroxidation, as measured by the formation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive material and Schiff bases during in vitro incubation of homogenates prepared from the cortex and medulla. In addition, the content of thiobarbituric acid-reactive material in the medulla was also significantly elevated as a result of cold storage for 24 hr. The effects of antioxidants (vitamin E), iron-chelation (desferrioxamine) and inhibitors of arachidonic acid oxidation (indomethacin and dazmegrel) on the rate of lipid peroxidation in homogenates prepared from ischaemic kidneys were studied. This demonstrated that lipid peroxidation in the cortex was predominantly non-specific and iron-catalysed whereas in the medulla approximately 50% of the TBA-reactive material was formed enzymically from arachidonic acid by cyclooxygenase.