Effectiveness of pure argon for renal transplant preservation in a preclinical pig model of heterotopic autotransplantation

Table 2 Histological study of the graft at various time points

Condition	Time points	Histology			Immunolabeling
Condition	Time points	Tubular lesions	Lymphocyte infiltration	Fibrosis and tubular atrophy	Caspase-3 (%)	CD10
Air-Celsior	Removal	2.2 ± 0.1	1	1	3	+++
	End of storage	2.3 ± 0.1	1	1	5	+++
	Autopsy	4.7 ± 0.2	1.8 ± 0.2	2.7 ± 0.1	40	+
Argon-Celsior	Removal	2.1 ± 0.1	1	1	3	+++
	End of storage	2.2 ± 0.1	1	1	5	+++
	Autopsy	3.3 ± 0.1*	1.2 ± 0.1	1.3 ± 0.1*	24	+++
Xenon-Celsior	Removal	2.0 ± 0.1	1	1	4	+++
	End of storage	2.2 ± 0.1	1	1	6	+++
	Autopsy	4.6 ± 0.1	1.9 ± 0.1	2.6 ± 0.2	0	−

Tubular lesions (1: no lesions; 2: lesions affecting <10 % of the sample; 3: 10–25 %; 4: 26–50 %; 5: >50 %), lymphocyte infiltration (1: no infiltrate; 2: loose, thin, dispersed infiltrate; 3: more abundant infiltrate, occasionally nodular; 4: dense, diffuse infiltrate with confluence), and fibrosis and tubular atrophy were scored (1: no fibrosis; 2: minimal fibrosis; 3: organized fibrosis with few glomerulosclerosis and tubular atrophy <25 %; 4: mutilating fibrosis with serious glomerulosclerosis and tubular atrophy >50 %). Data are means ± SDs; p < 0.050 (*): Argon-Celsior vs. Air-Celsior. Caspase-3 labeling was given as the percentage of cells expressing the antigen. CD10-labeling was determined using a semi-quantitative visual grading system (−: no labeling; +: weak; ++: moderate; +++: strong)

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