Degradation effect of diepoxide fixation on porcine endogenous retrovirus DNA in heart valves: molecular aspects.

PurposeXenotransplantations of porcine cells, tissues, and organs involve a risk of zoonotic viral infections in recipients, including by porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs), which are embedded the genome of all pigs. An appropriate preparation of porcine heart valves for transplantation can prevent retroviral infection. Therefore, the present study focuses on the effect of epoxy compounds and glutaraldehyde on the PERV presence in porcine heart valves prepared for clinical use.MethodsPorcine aortic heart valves were fixed with ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EDGE) at 5°C and 25°C as well as with glutaraldehyde (GA) for 4 weeks. Salting out was used to isolate genomic DNA from native as well as EDGE- and GA-fixed fragments of valves every week. Quantification of PERV-A, PERV-B, and PERV-C DNA was performed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR).ResultsAll subtypes of PERVs were detected in native porcine aortic heart valves. The reduction of the PERV-A, PERV-B, and PERV-C DNA cop...