The pig as an animal model for kidney transplantation

Abstract: A significant amount of the world’s population suffers from chronic kidney disease. Renal failure arises when less than 25 % of the kidneys function properly. The treatments available for humans that suffer from renal failure are dialysis or renal transplantation, of which transplantation is considered to be the treatment of choice. Transplantations increase quality of life, lengthen the patients’ lifespans and are cost effective. However, many transplanted kidneys are subjected to substantial ischemia/reperfusion damage, which could lead to graft loss. Animal models for kidney transplantation are crucial to gain more information about ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) and rejection mechanisms. The pig provides a good animal model for kidney transplantation studies. The porcine urological system is very similar to that of humans, both in aspects of physiology and anatomy. Moreover, pigs are relatively cheap, easy to breed and raise less ethical concerns than non-human primates. This master degree project includes a literature review and summary of a renal transplantation study, which is a collaboration between Uppsala University and the Department of Clinical Sciences, SLU, Uppsala. The study is included in the DIREKT program financed by EU-FP7. The aim of the renal transplantation study was to investigate whether polyethylene glycol conjugated phospholipid (PEG-lipid) could reduce IRI and thus help to prevent rejection of a transplanted kidney. The pigs were given a two-week acclimatization period during which they received social training for 15 minutes per pig and day. Thereafter, they were easy to handle under stress-free conditions. Kidneys were successfully transplanted under general anesthesia and the pigs recovered well after surgery. All pigs started to produce urine intraoperatively, and urine was found in the bladder of all pigs within three days after surgery by ultrasound examination. The pigs were euthanized on day 4 and 5 post surgery. Thus, the pigs lived long enough to collect relevant data regarding thromboinflammation. The present study confirmed that the pig constitutes an excellent animal model for kidney transplantation studies.