Anti-inflammatory approaches to the prevention of ischemia/reperfusion injury in solid organ transplantation.

Ischemia/reperfusion injury can contribute to organ dysfunction and failure after transplantation. Reperfusion injury is often associated with an acute inflammatory response, involving transcriptional activation and expression of pro-inflammatory mediators, and culminates in the recruitment of leukocytes to the post-ischemic tissue. In this concise review, we will address the current knowledge of acute inflammation relevant to ischemia/reperfusion injury and solid organ transplantation, and discuss current treatment options that may have application in this regard, as well as new areas that may be ripe for therapeutic drug design.