A panel of three damage-associated molecular patterns, IL-33, HMGB-1 and S100A9, was used to assess the extent of cellular injury in the donor lung. Lower levels of IL-33 and HMGB-1 were found in perfusate from transplanted donor lungs. The average IL-33 levels in perfusate were mean (T) = 3 (pg/ml) (SD 5, n = 24) and mean (NT) = 9 (pg/ml) (SD 10, n = 40) [t(62) = 2.93, P = 0.02]. HMGB-1 was highly expressed in both perfusate and BALF. The HMGB-1 levels in perfusate were mean (T) = 8318 (pg/ml) (SD 4474, n = 24) and mean (NT) = 10 545 (pg/ml) (SD 4,313, n = 40) [t(62) = 2.10, P = 0.07]. No difference in lavage fluid levels of IL-33 or HMGB-1 was seen between the groups.