The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Nov 2009
Activated protein C in ischemia-reperfusion injury after experimental lung transplantation.
Ischemia-reperfusion injury remains the major cause of early morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation. Activated protein C (APC) has been demonstrated to attenuate various acute inflammation-related injuries in the lung and other organs. ⋯ Exogenous APC administered to the donor airway attenuates ischemia-reperfusion injury after lung transplantation. This novel administration route sustains high levels of APC in the lung tissue, which should avoid frequent administration and potential systemic side effects of bleeding. Further investigation is necessary to determine the mechanism of the beneficial effect of APC in this setting.