抗冻蛋白应用于水稻悬浮细胞超低温保存的研究

本文将鱼类抗冻蛋白应用于植物细胞的超低温保存。结果表明,在水稻悬浮细胞的两步法保存中,浓度为0.01mg/ml的抗冻蛋白具有特别的负作用,相对高浓度的抗冻蛋白则能减小细胞存活率的波动性。在玻璃化法保存中,浓度为0.2mg/ml的抗冻蛋白能改善保存效果,更高浓度的抗冻蛋白(>5mg/ml)反而会降低保存效果。环境冰晶量、抗冻蛋白浓度、低温保护剂浓度和细胞膜组成等是影响抗冻蛋白使用效果的几大因素。作者在机理分析中认为,一方面,抗冻蛋白能和冰晶作用,抑制重冰晶,防止去玻璃化;另一方面,抗冻蛋白也能和细胞膜作用,诱发膜表面冰晶形成。     

微流控线性加载低温保护剂减少猪MⅡ期卵母细胞的渗透损伤

在卵母细胞低温保存中,通常需要加载冷冻保护剂来抑制冰晶对细胞的损伤,但高浓度冷冻保护剂的加载会对细胞造成渗透损伤.为了减小细胞的渗透损伤,本文设计并制作了适合卵母细胞冷冻保护剂加载的微流体装置,研究了微流控线性加载30%(v/v)二甲基亚砜(Me2SO)低温保护剂时细胞内保护剂浓度变化、细胞体积变化,以及对细胞存活率与发育率的影响,并与传统的加载方法(一步法、分步法)做了比较.结果表明:微流控法能够实现卵母细胞冷冻保护剂的连续线性加载,避免了卵母细胞体积的骤变,显著减小了细胞的渗透损伤,提高了细胞的存活率.其中细胞的最小渗透体积减小为0.86V0,细胞的存活率达到92.8%,比一步法高33%,比两步法高16.3%,但与四步法之间无显著性差异.经孤雌激活后体外培养,细胞的卵裂率和囊胚率分别达到75.8%和27.4%,都显著高于一步法和分步法(P0.05).因此,微流控线性加载低温保护剂能够显著减小细胞的渗透损伤,为卵母细胞低温保存技术提供新思路.     

花烛胚性悬浮细胞玻璃化超低温保存条件研究

为建立适宜的花烛(Anthurium andraeanum Lind. )胚性悬浮细胞玻璃化超低温保存技术,采用单因素实验方法对影响玻璃化超低温保存后细胞相对存活率的主要因素进行了研究.结果表明,经玻璃化超低温保存后花烛悬浮细胞的相对存活率与悬浮细胞的继代培养时间、渗透调节剂的种类和浓度及预培养时间、装载液种类和预处理时间、PVS2脱水时间以及超低温保存后的化冻温度均有一定的关系.继代培养3和5 d,细胞的相对存活率较高(约20%);分别以0.3、0.5、0.7 mol·L-1山梨醇和60、80、100、120 g·L-1蔗糖为渗透调节剂预培养0～4 d,以0.5 mol·L-1山梨醇预培养2 d的效果最好,细胞的相对存活率为26.2%;用体积分数25%PVS2预处理15 min,细胞的相对存活率最高(29.0%);分别用体积分数100%PVS2脱水0、5、10、15、20、25和30 min,其中脱水10 min的悬浮细胞相对存活率最高(32.1%);分别在10 ℃、20 ℃、30 ℃、40 ℃、50 ℃和60 ℃水浴条件下进行化冻处理,其中用40 ℃水浴化冻的悬浮细胞相对存活率最高(32.1%).花烛胚性悬浮细胞玻璃化超低温保存和化冻的适宜流程为:将继代培养3～5 d的胚性悬浮细胞团(直径2 mm)在含0.5 mol·L-1山梨醇的1/2MS液体培养基中预培养2 d后,于4 ℃条件下处理24 h,然后先用体积分数25%PVS2室温预处理15 min,再用体积分数100%PVS2 在0 ℃条件下脱水10 min,最后迅速投入液氮中冷冻保存;将经过冷冻保存的细胞置于40 ℃水浴中化冻3 min,用含1.2 mol·L-1蔗糖的1/2MS液体培养基洗涤3次(每次10 min),之后即可进行恢复培养.     

ERK1/2信号通路活化对Tamoxifen所致胶质瘤细胞凋亡的影响

为了探讨ERK1/2信号通路在他莫昔芬(tamoxifen, TAM)所致胶质瘤细胞凋亡中的作用,以C6和U87MG胶质瘤细胞为研究对象,经TAM处理后,采用MTT法检测细胞的存活率;倒置显微镜和DAPI染色观察细胞的形态;流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡; Western-blot法检测细胞内ERK1/2磷酸化水平。最后应用ERK1/2抑制剂(PD98059)与TAM共同作用,观察其对胶质瘤细胞内ERK1/2磷酸化水平和细胞凋亡的影响。实验结果显示:TAM可呈浓度和时间依赖性地抑制胶质瘤细胞生长; TAM处理组的细胞凋亡明显增加且呈浓度依赖性;TAM能增加细胞内ERK1/2磷酸化水平;以PD98059阻断ERK1/2的激活,能增强TAM诱导细胞凋亡的作用。实验结果表明TAM能够抑制胶质瘤细胞生长和促进其细胞凋亡, ERK1/2信号通路的激活参与调控TAM所致胶质瘤细胞凋亡。     

水稻悬浮细胞的超低温保存研究

本研究分析了水稻悬浮细胞的生理状态和各种冷冻前处理等因素对超低温保存后细胞存活率的影响。结果表明,继代后培养３－５天,处于对数生长期的细胞,采用二步冷冻法,超低温保存后存活率最高,采用二步冷冻法,超低温保存后存活率最高。电镜超微结构观察显示,０．５ｍｏｌ／Ｌ,山梨醇预培养,１０％ＤＭＳＯ＋０．５ｍｏｌ／Ｌ山梨醇复合保护剂处理,液泡显著变小,数目明显减少,从而降低了细胞内自由水含量,数目明显减少,从     

活体肺癌组织玻璃化保存的研究

保存活体的肺癌组织将为肺癌发病基因筛查和靶向药物筛选等体外实验研究提供更完整的样本信息. 本文对活体肺癌组织的玻璃化保存方法进行研究，首先采用针浸法玻璃化保存单块肺癌组织，对所需低温保护剂的浓度和平衡时间进行了优化；其次采用冻存管对多块肺癌组织样本进行玻璃化保存，对低温保护剂溶液体积以及平衡时间进行了优化；最后对慢速冷冻、不加低温保护剂快速冷冻、玻璃化冷冻3种冷冻方法的冻存效果进行比较并通过低温显微分析其冰晶损伤机理.结果表明，20% EG+20% DMSO+0.5 mol/L海藻糖作为低温保护剂，在平衡溶液和玻璃化溶液分别加载3 min和1 min时，针浸法和0.25 ml冻存管内玻璃化冻存，复苏后组织活力最高，分别约为79.96%与80.44%. 免疫组化显示玻璃化保存肺癌组织经过复苏后，相比慢速冷冻和无保护剂快速冷冻，组织结构损伤较小，组织内细胞TUNEL阳性表达较少. 低温显微结果表明，玻璃化保存组织内部及周围只出现少量细小冰晶，而慢速冷冻、快速冷冻组织皆出现明显冰晶.     

不同培养条件对铁线莲不定芽增殖及玻璃化的影响

以铁线莲品种'Multi-Blue'萌发的新芽为外植体,从植物生长调节物质(BA和NAA)及转接周期等方面,探讨控制或减轻铁线莲'Multi-Blue'组培苗玻璃化的途径.结果表明:(1)接种在含MS+1.0 mg·L-1 BA+0.1 mg·L-1 NAA培养基中的'Multi-Blue'不定芽有效增殖系数最高,达4.18,显著高于其他处理;BA/NAA相对比值对不定芽有效增殖率无显著性影响;铁线莲'Multi-Blue'继代培养的最佳周期为14 d.(2)叶片超微结构观察发现,铁线莲'Multi-Blue'玻璃化苗叶肉细胞中的叶绿体膨胀,体积增大,形状不规则;类囊体片层或消失或变得模糊不清;嗜锇滴体积增大,细胞核固缩.     

ALA-PDT对多种白血病细胞破坏作用的实验研究

目的:本研究主要观察相同条件的5 氨基乙酰丙酸的光动力疗法(ALA PDT)对不同种类的白血病细胞株生存率的影响,以及细胞死亡类型的差异。方法:选择5种白血病细胞(K562、HL60、U937、MOLT 4和6T CEM)进行比较。用MTT法检测细胞的存活率,用AnnexinV FITC PI双染法检测细胞不同死亡类型的比例。结果:不同细胞对相同条件的ALA PDT的敏感程度不同,依次为U937相似文献   

水稻悬浮细胞的超低温保存研究

本研究分析了水稻悬浮细胞的生理状态和各种冷冻前处理等因素对超低温保存后细胞存活率的影响。结果表明,继代后培养3—5天,处于对数生长期的细胞,采用二步冷冻法,超低温保存后存活率最高。电镜超微结构观察显示,0.5mol/L山梨醇预培养,10%DMSO 0.5mol/L山梨醇复合保护剂处理,液泡显著变小,数目明显减少,从而降低了细胞内自由水含量,增强细胞的抗冷冻能力。在上述合适的前处理和冷冻-化冻条件下,超低温保存水稻悬浮细胞的恢复生长率为58%,恢复生长的细胞转移到分化培养基上,可再生健壮绿苗, 移植到盆钵,在温室中长成正常结实的植株。     

镉对胎盘绒毛外滋养层HTR-8/SVneo细胞内抗氧化酶活性的影响

目的:探究氯化镉(CdCl_2)对胎盘绒毛外滋养层HTR-8/SVneo细胞内活性氧(ROS)水平和抗氧化酶活性的影响。方法:用不同浓度的CdCl_2(0、3、6、12μmol/L)处理HTR-8/SVneo细胞24 h,或者用12μmol/L CdCl_2处理HTR-8/SVneo细胞不同时间(0、6、12、24 h)后,CCK-8检测细胞活性;采用时间依赖模型,显微镜下观察细胞形态变化;流式细胞术检测细胞内ROS含量变化;试剂盒法检测细胞内超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GPx)活性及丙二醛(MDA)水平的变化;用12μmol/L CdCl_2与500μmol/L ROS清除剂NAC共处理HTR-8/SVneo细胞24 h,观察NAC对细胞的保护效应。结果:CdCl_2可以显著抑制HTR-8/SVneo细胞活性,且呈剂量和时间依赖性(P<0.01);随着CdCl_2处理时间的延长,HTR-8/SVneo细胞逐渐皱缩、变圆;细胞内ROS水平和MDA含量呈时间依赖性升高,而SOD、CAT和GPx活性呈时间依赖性降低;NAC可以显著抑制CdCl_2引起的ROS及MDA含量升高,缓解CdCl_2引起的形态损伤和抗氧化酶活性降低(P<0.05)。结论:镉可以引起HTR-8/SVneo细胞内ROS升高,并导致SOD、CAT、GPx活性降低和脂质过氧化。     

Evaluation of zebrafish (Danio rerio) PGCs viability and DNA damage using different cryopreservation protocols

Cryopreservation of primordial germ cells (PGCs) is a better alternative for the conservation of the diploid genome in fish until embryo cryopreservation is achieved. A good cryopreservation protocol must guarantee high survival rates but also absence of genetic damage. In this study, a cell toxicity test using several internal and external cryoprotectants was carried out. The best combination of cryoprotectants (DMSO 5 mol/L, ethylene glicol (EG) 1 mol/L, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) 4%) was used with and without antifreeze proteins (AFPs) at two different concentrations (10 mg/mL and 20 mg/mL) for cryopreservation trials. Different cryopreservation methods were used with single PGCs, genital ridges, and whole zebrafish embryos using cryovials, 0.5 mL straws, microcapsules, and microdrops. All embryos were obtained from the vasa EGFP zf45 transgenic line and viability was evaluated using trypan blue. High cell viability rates after cryopreservation in 0.5 mL straws were obtained (around 90%) and a decrease in viability was only observed when cells were cryopreserved in microcapsules and when AFP at 20 mg/mL was added to the freezing media. Genetic damage was determined by comet assay and was compared in cells cryopreserved in 0.5 mL straws and microcapsules (lowest viability rate). There were significantly more DNA strand breaks after cryopreservation in the cells cryopreserved without cryoprotectants and in those cryopreserved in microcapsules. Genetic damage in the cells cryopreserved with cryoprotectants in 0.5 mL straws was similar to fresh control samples, regardless of the concentration of AFP used. The decrease in PGC viability with the addition of AFP 20 mg/mL did not correlate with an increase in DNA damage. This study reported a successful method for zebrafish PGC cryopreservation that not only guarantees high cell survival but also the absence of DNA damage.     

Inhibiting ice recrystallization and optimization of cell viability after cryopreservation

The ice recrystallization inhibition activity of various mono- and disaccharides has been correlated with their ability to cryopreserve human cell lines at various concentrations. Cell viabilities after cryopreservation were compared with control experiments where cells were cryopreserved with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The most potent inhibitors of ice recrystallization were 220?mM solutions of disaccharides; however, the best cell viability was obtained when a 200?mM d-galactose solution was utilized. This solution was minimally cytotoxic at physiological temperature and effectively preserved cells during freeze-thaw. In fact, this carbohydrate was just as effective as a 5% DMSO solution. Further studies indicated that the cryoprotective benefit of d-galactose was a result of its internalization and its ability to mitigate osmotic stress, prevent intracellular ice formation and/or inhibit ice recrystallization. This study supports the hypothesis that the ability of a cryoprotectant to inhibit ice recrystallization is an important property to enhance cell viability post-freeze-thaw. This cryoprotective benefit is observed in three different human cell lines. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the ability of a potential cryoprotectant to inhibit ice recrystallation may be used as a predictor of its ability to preserve cells at subzero temperatures.     

Twig pre-harvest temperature significantly influences effective cryopreservation of Vaccinium dormant buds

Cryopreservation of temperate woody-plant material by dormant buds is less expensive than using shoot tips isolated from tissue cultured plants; however currently, dormant buds are used only for preservation of selected temperate tree and shrub species. Using dormant buds could be an efficient strategy for long-term preservation of blueberry (Vaccinium L.) genetic resources. In this study, viability of V. hybrid ‘Northsky’ (PI 554943) dormant buds was evaluated at 30 harvest dates over three consecutive fall/winter seasons to determine the optimal harvest time that promotes high post cryopreservation viability. Twigs with dormant buds were cut into 70 mm segments containing at least two nodes, desiccated, slowly cooled, stored in liquid nitrogen vapor and tested for post-cryopreservation regrowth. The highest regrowth of cryopreserved dormant buds was observed for buds harvested in mid-December and during the first half of January. Pearson's correlation coefficients were computed to evaluate the association between bud characteristics and viability at harvest date and logistic regression models were fit to test the ability of twig characteristics and temperatures to predict post cryopreservation bud viability. Post-cryopreservation viability was negatively correlated (p < 0.05) with average minimum, maximum and daily mean temperature preceding the bud harvest but was not correlated with the dormant bud initial and end moisture content, twig diameter, the number of dormant buds/cm of twig length and the number of days in desiccation. Regression tree analysis suggested post-cryopreservation viability to be between 52 and 80% for dormant buds harvested after a 10 day average maximum air temperature of <11.2 °C. Pre-harvest air temperature was a significant indicator of optimal dormant bud harvest time to produce adequate viability for long term preservation of blueberry genetic resources.     

Cryopreservation timing is a critical process parameter in a thymic regulatory T-cell therapy manufacturing protocol

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a promising therapy for several immune-mediated conditions but manufacturing a homogeneous and consistent product, especially one that includes cryopreservation, has been challenging. Discarded pediatric thymuses are an excellent source of therapeutic Tregs with advantages including cell quantity, homogeneity and stability. Here we report systematic testing of activation reagents, cell culture media, restimulation timing and cryopreservation to develop a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)–compatible method to expand and cryopreserve Tregs. By comparing activation reagents, including soluble antibody tetramers, antibody-conjugated beads and artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) and different media, we found that the combination of Dynabeads Treg Xpander and ImmunoCult-XF medium preserved FOXP3 expression and suppressive function and resulted in expansion that was comparable with a single stimulation with aAPCs. Cryopreservation tests revealed a critical timing effect: only cells cryopreserved 1–3 days, but not >3 days, after restimulation maintained high viability and FOXP3 expression upon thawing. Restimulation timing was a less critical process parameter than the time between restimulation and cryopreservation. This systematic testing of key variables provides increased certainty regarding methods for in vitro expansion and cryopreservation of Tregs. The ability to cryopreserve expanded Tregs will have broad-ranging applications including enabling centralized manufacturing and long-term storage of cell products.     

C-linked antifreeze glycoprotein (C-AFGP) analogues as novel cryoprotectants

Significant cell damage occurs during cryopreservation resulting in a decreased number of viable and functional cells post-thawing. Recent studies have correlated the unsuccessful outcome of regenerative therapies with poor cell viability after cryopreservation. Cell damage from ice recrystallization during freeze-thawing is one cause of decreased viability after cryopreservation. We have assessed the ability of two C-AFGPs that are potent inhibitors of ice recrystallization to increase cell viability after cryopreservation. Our results indicate that a 1-1.5 mg/mL (0.5-0.8 mM) solution of C-AFGP 1 is an excellent alternative to a 2.5% DMSO solution for the cryopreservation of human embryonic liver cells.     

Proliferation, multipotency and neuronal differentiation of cryopreserved neural progenitor cells derived from the olfactory neuroepithelium of the adult rat

The use of olfactory neuroepithelium neural progenitor cells for transplantation has attracted attention in the treatment of many neurological disorders, which require efficient recovery methods and cryopreservation procedures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate different cryopreservation techniques for neural progenitor cells derived from the olfactory neuroepithelium (ONe NPCs) in adult rats. Initially, we compared the survival rates of cryopreserved ONe NPCs treated with six different cryoprotectants: dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), ethylene glycol (EG) and glycerol, each with or without 10% FBS and with two different storage periods in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C), specifically 3 days short-term storage and 3 months long-term storage. We assessed the recovery efficiency of ONe NPCs after freezing and thawing by viability testing and colony-forming assay as well as immunocytochemistry under different conditions. No significant difference in the survival rate was observed among these different cryoprotectants. With these protocols, ONe NPCs retained their multipotency and differentiated into glial (GFAP-positive), neuronal (NeuN-positive) and oligodendroglia (Galc-positive) cells. Collectively, our results imply that, under optimal conditions, ONe NPCs might be cryopreserved for periods of >3 months without losing their proliferative and multipotency activities.     

Cryopreservation of primary cultures of mammalian somatic cells in 96-well plates benefits from control of ice nucleation

Cryopreservation of mammalian cells has to date typically been conducted in cryovials, but there are applications where cryopreservation of primary cells in multiwell plates would be advantageous. However excessive supercooling in the small volumes of liquid in each well of the multiwell plates is inevitable without intervention and tends to result in high and variable cell mortality. Here, we describe a technique for cryopreservation of adhered primary bovine granulosa cells in 96-well plates by controlled rate freezing using controlled ice nucleation. Inducing ice nucleation at warm supercooled temperatures (less than 5 °C below the melting point) during cryopreservation using a manual seeding technique significantly improved post-thaw recovery from 29.6% (SD = 8.3%) where nucleation was left uncontrolled to 57.7% (9.3%) when averaged over 8 replicate cultures (p < 0.001). Detachment of thawed cells was qualitatively observed to be more prevalent in wells which did not have ice nucleation control which suggests cryopreserved cell monolayer detachment may be a consequence of deep supercooling. Using an infra-red thermography technique we showed that many aliquots of cryoprotectant solution in 96-well plates can supercool to temperatures below −20 °C when nucleation is not controlled, and also that the freezing temperatures observed are highly variable despite stringent attempts to remove contaminants acting as nucleation sites. We conclude that successful cryopreservation of cells in 96-well plates, or any small volume format, requires control of ice nucleation.     

Cryopreservation of flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) embryos by vitrification

Conventional cryopreservation of complex teleost embryos has been unsuccessful, possibly because their large size (1-7 mm diameter), multi-compartmental structure and low water permeability lead to intracellular ice formation and chilling injury. To overcome these obstacles, we have developed a vitrification procedure for cryopreservation of flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) embryos. In initial toxicity tests, propylene glycol (PG) and methanol (MeOH) were less toxic to embryos than dimethylformamide (DMF) or dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO), whereas ethylene glycol (EG) and glycerol (Gly) were toxic to all tested embryos. Embryos between four-somite and tail bud stages were more tolerant to vitrifying solutions than embryos in other developmental stages. Four vitrifying solutions (FVS1-FVS4) were prepared by combining a basic saline solution (BS2) and cryoprotectants PG and MeOH in different proportions (FVS1: 67, 20 and 13%; FVS2: 60, 24 and 16%; FVS3: 55, 27 and 18%; FVS4: 50, 30 and 20% of BS2, PG and MeOH, respectively). Their impact on flounder embryos was then compared. FVS1 produced the highest survival rate; whereas deformation rate was highest for FVS4. Five-step equilibration of embryos in FVS2 resulted in higher survival rates than equilibration in 4, 3, 2 or 1 steps. Flounder embryos varying from the 14-somite to the pre-hatching stage were cryopreserved in the four vitrifying solutions in liquid nitrogen for 1-7 h. From eight experiments, 20 viable thawed embryos were recovered from 292 cryopreserved embryos. Fourteen larvae with normal morphology hatched successfully from the 20 surviving frozen-thawed embryos from five experiments. Embryos at the tail bud stage exhibited greater tolerance to vitrification than embryos at other stages. These results establish that cryopreservation of flounder embryos by vitrification is possible. The technology has many potential applications in teleost germplasm resource conservation.     

Development of a new vitrification solution, VSL, and its application to the cryopreservation of gentian axillary buds

Vitrification methods are convenient for cryopreserving plant specimens, as the specimens are plunged directly into liquid nitrogen (LN) from ambient temperatures. However, tissues and species with poor survival are still not uncommon. The development of vitrification solutions with high survival that cover a range of materials is important. We attempted to develop new vitrification solutions using bromegrass cells and found that VSL, comprising 20% (w/v) glycerol, 30% (w/v) ethylene glycol, 5% (w/v) sucrose, 10% (w/v) DMSO and 10 mM CaCl₂, gave the highest survival following cryopreservation, as determined by fluorescein diacetate staining. However, the cryopreserved cells showed little regrowth, for unknown reasons. To check its applicability, VSL was used to cryopreserve gentian axillary buds and the performance was compared with those of conventional vitrification solutions. Excised gentian stem segments with axillary buds (shoot apices) were two-step precultured with sucrose to induce osmotic tolerance prior to cryopreservation. Gentian axillary buds cryopreserved using VSL following the appropriate preculturing approach exhibited 78% survival (determined by the regrowth capacity), which was comparable to PVS2 and PVS1 and far better than PVS3. VSL had a wider optimal incubation time (20–45 min) than PVS2 and was more suitable for cryopreserving gentian buds. The optimal duration of the first step of the preculture was 7–11 days, and preculturing with sucrose and glucose gave a much higher survival than fructose and maltose. VSL was able to vitrify during cooling to LN temperatures, as glass transition and devitrification points were detected in the warming profiles from differential scanning calorimetry. VSL and its derivative, VSL+, seem to have the potential to be good alternatives to PVS2 for the cryopreservation of some materials, as exemplified by gentian buds. Mitsuteru Suzuki, Pramod Tandon and Masaya Ishikawa contributed equally to the work.     

The viability of cryopreserved PBPC depends on the DMSO concentration and the concentration of nucleated cells in the graft

BACKGROUND: DMSO is widely used as a cryoprotectant for PBPC. It is desirable to reduce the amount of DMSO without jeopardizing the quality of the stem cell product. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether recovery and survival of CD34+ cells would be significantly altered when PBPC used for autologous transplantations were cryopreserved with four different DMSO concentrations. METHODS: Apheresis samples of PBPC from 20 consecutive patients were mixed in parallel with 2%, 4%, 5% and 10% DMSO, frozen with identical cell concentrations at a controlled rate, and stored in liquid nitrogen for 6-8 weeks. PBPC samples from 11 consecutive patients were also cryopreserved with two different cell concentrations (150 and 300 x 10(6) nucleated cells/mL) to investigate the effect of increasing the cell concentrations while decreasing the DMSO concentration. The flow cytometric absolute count method, based on ISHAGE guidelines, was used to measure the absolute count of total and viable CD34+ cells in the post-thaw samples. RESULTS: PBPC cryopreserved at 150 x 10(6) cells/mL with 2% DMSO yielded significantly inferior CD34+ cell recovery (P < 0.001) and survival (P < 0.001) compared with cryopreservation with 4% and 5% DMSO. This was also observed when comparing higher cell concentrations. However, a reduced cell survival (P = 0.02) was observed when the nucleated cell concentration was increased from 150 to 300 x 10(6) cells/mL in samples cryopreserved with 5% DMSO. DISCUSSION: We conclude that 5% DMSO may be the optimal dose for cryopreserving PBPC as long as the cells have not been concentrated at much more than 200 x 10(6) nucleated cells/mL.