Issue 7, 2016

Enhanced non-vitreous cryopreservation of immortalized and primary cells by ice-growth inhibiting polymers

Abstract

Cell cryopreservation is an essential tool in modern biotechnology and medicine. The ability to freeze, store and distribute materials underpins basic cell biology and enables storage of donor cells needed for transplantation and regenerative medicine. However, many cell types do not survive freezing and the current state-of-the-art involves the addition of significant amounts of organic solvents as cryoprotectants, which themselves can be cytotoxic, or simply interfere with assays. A key cause of cell death in cryopreservation is ice recrystallization (growth), which primarily occurs during thawing. Here it is demonstrated that the addition of ice recrystalization inhibiting polymers to solutions containing low (non vitrifying) concentrations of DMSO enhance cell recovery rates by up to 75%. Cell functionality is also demonstrated using a placental cell line, and enhanced cryopreservation of primary rat hepatocytes is additionally shown. The crucial role of the polymers architecture (chain length) is shown, with shorter polymers being more effective than longer ones.

Graphical abstract: Enhanced non-vitreous cryopreservation of immortalized and primary cells by ice-growth inhibiting polymers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Feb 2016
Accepted
01 May 2016
First published
06 May 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Biomater. Sci., 2016,4, 1079-1084

Enhanced non-vitreous cryopreservation of immortalized and primary cells by ice-growth inhibiting polymers

R. C. Deller, J. E. Pessin, M. Vatish, D. A. Mitchell and M. I. Gibson, Biomater. Sci., 2016, 4, 1079 DOI: 10.1039/C6BM00129G

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements