Bioassay to measure effects of cooling and warming rates and protection by dimethyl sulphoxide on survival of frozen Babesia rodhaini

The percentages of Babesia rodhaini parasites that survived different rates of cooling to −79 °C were determined by titrating infectivity in CBA mice before freezing and after thawing. The cryoprotective effect of DMSO and the effect of warming rate were also assessed.When parasitized blood containing 1.5 DMSO was cooled at nominal rates of 2.5 °, 265 °, and 2785 °C/min and warmed at 4320 °C/min, the respective survival rates were 0.075, 4.9, and 0.1%, indicating the existence of an optimal cooling rate. Blood without DMSO cooled and warmed under the same conditions was over 1000 times less infective. When parasitized blood containing DMSO was cooled at 2785 °C/min and warmed at 4320 °, 24.5 °, and 1.84 °C/ min, infectivity decreased progressively with the warming rate. The degrees of haemolysis in frozen and thawed blood indicated that cooling rate was more important than an intact host cell to survival of the parasite.The growth rate of B. rodhaini in CBA mice, estimated to be one binary fission in 8.5 hr, was not affected by the addition of DMSO followed by freezing and thawing.     

The effect of warming velocity on motility and acrosomal integrity of boar sperm as influenced by the rate of freezing and glycerol level

The effect of thawing velocities ranging from 10°C/min to 1.800°C/min on the motility and acrosomal integrity of boar spermatozoa frozen at 1°C/min (suboptimal), 5°C/min, and 30°C/min (optimal) rate was studied with the sperm suspended for freezing in diluent containing 2, 4, or 6% of glycerol (v/v). The influence of thawing on sperm survival depends on the rate at which the sperm had been frozen. In semen frozen at a suboptimal rate of 1°C/min, the percentage of motile sperm (FMP) initially fell to 3.5–4.0% when the thawing rose to 200°C/ min, but, with further increases in thawing rate, increased and reached peak values (10.3–11.0% FMP) after thawing at 1,800°C/min. The percentage of sperm with normal apical ridge (NAR) also increased moderately with thawing rate, but the degree of improvement decreased as the glycerol level was increased. In semen frozen at 1°C/min, acrosomal integrity (NAR) was best maintained in 2% glycerol, reaching 22.9% NAR after thawing at 1,800°C/min. In semen frozen at the optimal rate of 30°C/min, the increases in thawing rates above 200°C/min substantially improved motility. Motility was generally higher in semen protected by 4 or 6% glycerol, with the peak values of 44 or 46% FMP, respectively, after thawing at 1,200°C/min. The proportion of sperm with NAR also increased with thawing rate, but as in the case of suboptimally frozen sperm it was influenced negatively by the glycerol concentration. The peak value 53% NAR was recorded in semen protected by 2% glycerol, frozen at 30°C/min, and thawed at 1,200°C/min. In view of the inverse relationship between FMP and NAR, selection of optimal conditions from among the interacting variables, freezing rate, glycerol concentration, and thawing rate requires compromising between maximal FMP and maximal NAR. Accordingly, we have adopted as optimal a protocol with a thawing rate of 1,200°C/min, a freezing rate of 30°C/min and concentrations of 3% glycerol. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Successful cryopreservation of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) spermatozoa

Reproduction in captive elephants is low and infant mortality is high, collectively leading to possible population extinction. Artificial insemination was developed a decade ago; however, it relies on fresh-chilled semen from just a handful of bulls with inconsistent sperm quality. Artificial insemination with frozen–thawed sperm has never been described, probably, in part, due to low semen quality after cryopreservation. The present study was designed with the aim of finding a reliable semen freezing protocol. Screening tests included freezing semen with varying concentrations of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, trehalose, dimethyl sulfoxide and glycerol as cryoprotectants and assessing cushioned centrifugation, rapid chilling to suprazero temperatures, freezing extender osmolarity, egg yolk concentration, post-thaw dilution with cryoprotectant-free BC solution and the addition of 10% (v/v) of autologous seminal plasma. The resulting optimal freezing protocol uses cushioned centrifugation, two-step dilution with isothermal 285 m Osm/kg Berliner Cryomedium (BC) with final glycerol concentration of 7% and 16% egg yolk, and freezing in large volume by the directional freezing technique. After thawing, samples are diluted 1:1 with BC solution. Using this protocol, post-thaw evaluations results were: motility upon thawing: 57.2 ± 5.4%, motility following 30 min incubation at 37 °C: 58.5 ± 6.0% and following 3 h incubation: 21.7 ± 7.6%, intact acrosome: 57.1 ± 5.2%, normal morphology: 52.0 ± 5.8% and viability: 67.3 ± 6.1%. With this protocol, good quality semen can be accumulated for future use in artificial inseminations when and where needed.     

Effect of cooling and rewarming rates on glycerolated human erythrocytes.

Human erythrocytes suspended in a sodium-free buffered salt solution containing glycerol in 1 m concentration (1 part of packed cells to 4 parts buffered salt solution) were frozen by slow, moderately rapid, or very rapid cooling to various subzero C temperatures. The frozen specimens, after a 5-min storage period at a given temperature, were thawed at low, moderately high, or very high rates. The hemolysis in the frozen and thawed samples was measured by a colorimetric determination of the hemoglobin released from the damaged cells. At ?10 °C, the highest freezing temperature employed, nearly 100% recovery of intact erythrocytes was obtained irrespective of the cooling and rewarming conditions. The extent of the hemolysis after exposure to lower freezing temperatures depended upon the cooling and rewarming conditions. Moderately rapid and very rapid freezing to, and thawing from temperatures below ?40 °C permitted significantly higher recoveries of intact cells than the other freezing/ thawing combinations. In the temperature range ?15 to ?30 °C the combination slow cooling and slow rewarming afforded maximum protection. Very rapid freezing/ slow thawing was the most damaging combination throughout the entire freezing range. The results were interpreted in part by a conventional two-factor analysis, lower cooling rates allowing concentrated salts to determine hemolysis, higher cooling rates destroying the cells by intracellular freezing. Apparent anomalies were explained in terms of a generalized “thermal/osmotic” shock according to which the erythrocytes were subject to greater hemolysis the higher the rates of cooling and/or warming.     

Use of sucrose during removal of cryoprotectants after thawing eight-cell mouse embryos

Eight-cell mouse embryos were frozen in 0.5-ml plastic straws in modified Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (PBS) plus 5% steer serum plus either 1.32 M dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or 1.32 M glycerol. Upon thawing, embryos were diluted 1:4 with 0.0, 0.2, 0.6, or 1.0 M sucrose solutions within the straws. Thawing was either in air at ambient temperature or in 8 degrees C or 38 degrees C water. After 48 h of culture, more embryos frozen in DMSO and thawed in 8 degrees C and 37 degrees C water developed to blastocysts (87 and 93%, respectively) than embryos thawed in air (75%; P < 0.05). No significant differences in development were noted among the three thawing regimens when embryos were frozen with glycerol. There was no significant effect of concentration of sucrose during dilution on development of embryos postthaw. With glycerol as the cryoprotectant, damage to zonae pellucidae increased as thawing rates increased, whereas the opposite was observed with DMSO as the cryoprotectant (P < 0.05).     

Studies on preservation of schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni and S. mattheei

Schistosomula were not damaged by exposure for 1 hr at room temperature to the cryoprotectant dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) providing that concentrations greater than 10% were not used. Rapid dilution to remove the DMSO was less harmful to the organisms than was slow dilution. Schistosomula were not damaged by thermal shock (cooling in the absence of freezing) but were damaged by conditions produced by freezing. Although the freezing damage rendered schistosomula noninfective they retained flame cell activity and certain contractile properties in the oral sucker, gut, and musculature. The least damage was produced by slow cooling (at approximately 0.3 °C/min) and fast warming (approximately 300 °C/min). Schistosomula remained infective following freezing and slow cooling to −20 °C in DMSO (10%) and storage for 2 hr at this temperature but were damaged at temperatures below −26 °C and at −20 °C for longer time periods.     

Cryosurgical technique: assessment of the fundamental variables using human prostate cancer model systems

Cryosurgery offers a promising therapeutic alternative for the treatment of prostate cancer. While often successful, complete cryoablation of cancerous tissues sometimes fails due to technical challenges. Factors such as the end temperature, cooling rate, duration of the freezing episode, and repetition of the freezing cycle have been reported to influence cryosurgical outcome. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of these variables in an in vitro prostate cancer model. Human prostate cancer PC-3 and LNCaP cultures were exposed to a range of sub-zero temperatures (−5 to −40 °C), and cells were thawed followed by return to 37 °C. Post-thaw viability was assessed using a variety of fluorescent probes including alamarBlue™ (metabolic activity), calceinAM (membrane integrity), and propidium iodide (necrosis). Freeze duration following ice nucleation was investigated using single and double freezing cycles (5, 10, and 20 min). The results demonstrated that lower freezing temperatures yielded greater cell death, and that LNCaP cells were more susceptible to freezing than PC-3 cells. At −15 °C, PC-3 yielded 55% viability versus 20% viability for LNCaP. Double freezing cycles were found to be more than twice as destructive versus a single freeze–thaw cycle. Both cell types experienced increased cell death when exposed to freezing temperatures for longer durations. When thawing rates were considered, passive (slower) thawing following freezing yielded greater cell death than active (faster) thawing. A 20% difference in viability between passive and active thawing was observed for PC-3 for a 10 min freeze. Finally, the results demonstrate that just reaching −40 °C in vitro may not be sufficient to obtain complete cell death. The data support the use of extended freeze times, multiple freeze–thaw cycles, and passive thawing to provide maximum cell destruction.     

Effect of post-thaw cell rehydration at 4 degrees C on survival of frozen and vitrified IVP-derived bovine embryos.

In vitro-produced bovine embryos (IVP) were either frozen in 10% glycerol in a phosphate-buffered saline solution (PBS) using conventional slow freezing or vitrified in 25% glycerol and 25% ethylene glycol in PBS. The results of viability and hatching rates were compared between frozen and vitrified embryos after thawing and dilution using one of three different protocols: (A) a three-step dilution procedure, (B) a one-step dilution procedure or (C) a procedure in which embryos were kept in situ inside the straw at 4 degrees C for 10 min during a one-step dilution procedure. No significant differences in embryo survival were found among protocols A, B and C for frozen embryos and between protocols A and B for vitrified embryos. Viability and hatching rates of vitrified embryos thawed and diluted by protocol C (73 and 62%) were significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) in comparison to those obtained with protocol A (55 and 41.6%) or protocol B (54.5 and 35.3%). These results indicate that for vitrified IVP bovine embryos, direct in-straw rehydration at 4 degrees C for 10 min improves embryo survival and it could be a practical procedure for use under field conditions where there is sometimes a longer interval between thawing and transfer.     

Survival of frozen-thawed human red cells as a function of the permeation of glycerol and sucrose

Previous studies have demonstrated that glycerol does not have to permeate bovine red cells to protect them against subsequent freezing and thawing. The present study is concerned with the relation between solute permeation and freezing injury of human red cells. Cells were held in 2 m glycerol for 30 sec to 10 min at 0 °C and then frozen to ?196 °C at 60 °C/min. Cells cooled at this rate have a very low probability of undergoing intracellular freezing. Percent survivals (≡percent unhemolyzed) increased by 21% (from 66 to 80%) over the first 3-min period. Extrapolation to zero time (and zero glycerol permeation) yields a survival of 57%. Between 30 sec and 3 min the calculated osmolal ratio of intracellular glycerol to other solutes increased 240% (from 2.5 to 5.7). The human red cell is impermeable to sucrose at 0 °C. Cells suspended in 1.40 m sucrose (equiosmolal to 2.0 m glycerol) for 0.5 to 10 min prior to freezing yielded as high survivals after thawing as did cells in glycerol.These data indicate that prior permeation of additive is not a prerequisite for the survival of red cells subjected to subsequent freezing and thawing. Although sucrose and glycerol protect equally well to this point, differences appear when attempts are made to remove the additive. Over 90% of the cells survive the removal of glycerol. Only some 30% survive the removal of sucrose. Cells frozen in an equisomolal solution of sodium chloride do not even survive the initial freezing and thawing.The findings indicate that slow freezing injury cannot be accounted for in terms of the attainment of a critical minimum volume, nor can it be considered to be equivalent to posthypertonic hemolysis.     

Optimization of the cryopreservation of African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) sperm

Cryopreservation of testicular sperm in the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, was tested using three penetrating cryoprotectants (DMSO, methanol, and glycerol) and three semen diluents (300 mmol/L glucose, 300 mmol/L sucrose, and a motility inhibiting saline [MIS] solution [150 mmol/L NaCl, 3 mmol/L KCL, 1 mmol/L Mg₂SO₄, 1 mmol/L CaCl₂, and 20 mmol/L Tris, pH 8.0]). Three freezing rates and four thawing rates were also tested, and the best freezing/thawing conditions have been determined. The responses of sperm motility, viability, and fertility were assessed. Incubation of the sperm macerates with penetrating cryoprotectants showed that DMSO was the least toxic and methanol the most toxic. Semen in cryodiluents frozen 10 cm above the surface of liquid nitrogen (freezing rate of 20 to 25 °C/min) and thawed at room temperature for 40 sec had significantly higher percentages of motile and viable sperm than that of semen frozen 5 cm or 8 cm above the surface of liquid nitrogen and thawed at 5, 25, or 30 °C for 10, 15, or 60 sec, respectively. Sperm frozen in MIS containing 5% DMSO had a higher hatching rate than that of sperm frozen in sucrose and glucose diluents containing 5% or 10% DMSO and in MIS containing 10% DMSO. Addition of 73 mmol/L sucrose to the sperm extender MIS + 5% DMSO could improve the postthaw sperm motility and fertility. In conclusion, dilution of collected sperm in MIS solution (to have a final concentration of 6.5 × 10⁶ to 8 × 10⁶/mL) containing 5% DMSO and 73 mmol/L sucrose, freezing in a vapor of liquid nitrogen at 10 cm above the surface, and thawing at room temperature for 40 sec was the best cryopreservation protocol. This protocol gave 70% hatching rate, 80% motility rate, and 75% viability rate of fresh hormonally induced sperm.     

Two step freezing of cow embryos in 1.4 M glycerol

Day 6 1 2 -7 1 2 cow embryos were frozen in 1.4 M glycerol in PBS, at 0.3 degrees C/min to -30 (group I), -35 (group II), and -40 degrees C (group III) before being plunged into liquid nitrogen. They were subsequently thawed by direct transfer to water at 37 degrees C. In Experiment I, embryos frozen and thawed were cultured in vitro, 12 out of 19 embryos (63%) survived and there were no significant (p > 0.05) differences in survival rates among the three freezing groups. In Experiment II, 29 embryos frozen to -30 or -35 degrees C were transferred non-surgically to heifers on day 7. Seventeen of 29 recipients (59%) were pregnant at day 60. Five embryos frozen to -35 degrees C resulted in 5 pregnancies (100%) after thawing and surgical transfer.     

Freeze tolerance of soil chytrids from temperate climates in Australia

Very little is known about the capacity of soil chytrids to withstand freezing in the field. Tolerance to freezing was tested in 21 chytrids isolated from cropping and undisturbed soils in temperate Australia. Samples of thalli grown on peptone–yeast–glucose (PYG) agar were incubated for seven days at −15 °C. Recovery of growth after thawing and transferring to fresh medium at 20 °C indicated survival. All isolates in the Blastocladiales and Spizellomycetales survived freezing in all tests. All isolates in the Chytridiales also survived freezing in some tests. None of the isolates in the Rhizophydiales survived freezing in any of the tests. However, some isolates in the Rhizophydiales recovered growth after freezing if they were grown on PYG agar supplemented with either 1 % sodium chloride or 1 % glycerol prior to freezing. After freezing, the morphology of the thalli of all isolates was observed under LM. In those isolates that recovered growth after transfer to fresh media, mature zoosporangia were observed in the monocentric isolates and resistant sporangia or resting spores in the polycentric isolates. Encysted zoospores in some monocentric isolates also survived freezing. In some of the experiments the freezing and thawing process caused visible structural damage to the thalli. The production of zoospores after freezing and thawing was also used as an indicator of freeze tolerance. The chytrids in this study responded differently to freezing. These data add significantly to our limited knowledge of freeze tolerance in chytrids but leave many questions unanswered.     

On the mechanism of injury to slowly frozen erythrocytes.

When cells are frozen slowly in aqueous suspensions, the solutes in the suspending solution concentrate as the amount of ice increases; the cells undergo osmotic dehydration and are sequestered in ever-narrowing liquid-filled channels. Cryoprotective solutes, such as glycerol, reduce the amount of ice that forms at any specified subzero temperature, thereby controlling the buildup in concentration of those other solutes present, as well as increasing the volume of the channels that remain to accommodate the cells. It has generally been thought that freezing injury is mediated by the increase in electrolyte concentration in the milieu surrounding the cells, rather than reduction of temperature or any direct action of ice. In this study we have frozen human erythrocytes in isotonic solutions of sodium chloride and glycerol and have demonstrated a correlation between the extent of damage at specific subzero temperatures, and that caused by the action at 0 degrees C of solutions having the same composition as those produced by freezing. The cell lysis observed increased directly with glycerol concentration, both in the freezing experiments and when the cells were exposed to corresponding solutions at 0 degrees C, showing that the concentration of sodium chloride alone is not sufficient to account quantitatively for the damage observed. We then studied the effect of freezing in anisotonic solutions to break the fixed relationship between solute concentration and the volume of the unfrozen fraction, as described by Mazur, P., W. F. Rall, and N. Rigopoulos (1981. Biophys. J. 653-675). We confirmed their experimental findings, but we explain them differently. We ascribe the apparently dominant effect of the unfrozen fraction to the fact that the cells were frozen in, and returned to, anisotonic solutions in which their volume was either less than, or greater than, their physiological volume. When similar cell suspensions were subjected to a similar cycle of increase and then decrease in solution strength, but in the absence of ice (at 20 degrees C), a similar pattern of hemolysis was observed. We conclude that freezing injury to human erythrocytes is due solely to changes that occur in the composition of their surrounding milieu, and is most probably mediated by a temporary leak in the plasma membrane that occurs during the thawing (reexpansion) phase.     

Cryopreservation and subsequent viability of human bone marrow in hematologic malignancies: Comparison of two different methods of cell reconstitution

Bone marrow cells collected from patients with hematologic malignancies were cryopreserved using DMSO as a cryoprotective agent. The growth kinetics of hemopoietic stem cells frozen to −196 °C was monitored immediately after thawing by the semisolid agar CFU-C assay and two different methods of cell reconstitution were compared. In the first procedure, thawed cells were plated after the removal of DMSO by washing the cell suspension; in the second, cell suspensions were cultured after a simple 1:1 dilution of DMSO with medium. The numbers of CFU-C per 2 × 10⁵ cells plated was higher by washing out the DMSO in all the groups studied. However, the absolute numbers of CFU-C contained in the whole ampoules after the freezing procedures was approximately the same using both methods. It is concluded that washing the cells only apparently yielded a better cloning efficiency, suggesting that such a procedure led to a higher mature nucleated cell loss with the consequence of a CFU-C concentration. This trend seems particularly evident in cells from the AML and CML patients.     

An amino acidic adjuvant to augment cryoinjury of MCF-7 breast cancer cells

One of the major challenges in cryosurgery is to minimize incomplete cryodestruction near the edge of the iceball. In the present study, the feasibility and effectiveness of an amino acidic adjuvant, glycine was investigated to enhance the cryodestruction of MCF-7 human breast cancer cell at mild freezing/thawing conditions via eutectic solidification. The effects of glycine addition on the phase change characteristics of NaCl–water binary mixture were investigated with a differential scanning calorimeter and cryo-macro/microscope. The results confirmed that a NaCl–glycine–water mixture has two distinct eutectic phase change events – binary eutectic solidification of water–glycine, and ternary eutectic solidification of NaCl–glycine–water. In addition, its effects on the cryoinjury of MCF-7 cells were investigated by assessing the post-thaw cellular viability after a single freezing/thawing cycle with various eutectic solidification conditions due to different glycine concentrations, end temperatures and hold times. The viability of MCF-7 cells in isotonic saline supplemented with 10% or 20% glycine without freezing/thawing remained higher than 90% (n = 9), indicating no apparent toxicity was induced by the addition of glycine. With 10% glycine supplement, the viability of the cells frozen to −8.5 °C decreased from 85.9 ± 1.8% to 38.5 ± 1.0% on the occurrence of binary eutectic solidification of glycine–water (n = 3 for each group). With 20% glycine supplement, the viability of the cells frozen to −8.5 °C showed similar trends to those with 10% supplement. However, as the end temperature was lowered to −15 °C, the viability drastically decreased from 62.5 ± 2.0% to 3.6 ± 0.7% (n = 3 for each group). The influences of eutectic kinetics such as nucleation temperature, hold time and method were less significant. These results imply that the binary eutectic solidification of water–glycine can augment the cryoinjury of MCF-7 cells, and the extent of the eutectic solidification is significant.     

Effect of egg yolk, cryoprotectant, and various sugars on semen cryopreservation in endangered Cuvier's gazelle (Gazella cuvieri)

Cryopreservation of spermatozoa from endangered species is a valuable tool for genetic management. Previous studies showed the feasibility of cryopreservation of spermatozoa from various endangered gazelles but have also revealed difficulties with available protocols for semen freezing in Cuvier's gazelle (Gazella cuvieri). Experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of (a) 5% or 20% egg yolk or 4% or 6% glycerol, and (b) addition of sugars (glucose, fructose, lactose and raffinose) on cryopreservation using a Tes-Tris-based diluent (TEST). A diluent containing 13.5% raffinose, 5% or 20% egg yolk, and 6% glycerol (REYG) was also evaluated. Semen was obtained by electroejaculation from 22 G. cuvieri males. Diluted samples were loaded into 0.25 ml straws, cooled to 5 °C over 1.5 h (−0.16 °C/min), equilibrated at that temperature for 2 h, frozen in nitrogen vapours for 10 min and plunged into liquid nitrogen. Subsamples were assessed for motility and acrosome integrity upon collection, after refrigeration–equilibration, after freezing and thawing, and 2 h after thawing. Use of TEST with 20% egg yolk or with 4% glycerol led to worse motility preservation, whereas TEST with 5% egg yolk and 6% glycerol led to better results. Addition of fructose, lactose or raffinose to TEST resulted in similar or worse preservation of motility than inclusion of glucose. On the other hand, use of a raffinose-based medium with 20% egg yolk and 6% glycerol (REYG) afforded better preservation of motility than use of TEST. With REYG, 20% egg yolk was better than 5% egg yolk for motility preservation. Differences were noted between males in their responses to cryopreservation when using different egg yolk or glycerol concentrations. Moreover, spermatozoa from most males exhibited better cryopreservation with REYG although some were better cryopreserved in TEST. The raffinose-based diluent thus represents an improvement over previous results but more work is needed to better characterize cryopreservation conditions for future routine banking of Cuvier's gazelle spermatozoa.     

Cryopreservation of Sheep Red Blood Cells

The protection of sheep erythrocytes at freezing temperatures was investigated using glycerol, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), glucose and four different types of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as cryoprotective agents. Depending on type (molecular weight) and concentration good protection was obtained with PVP, whereas glycerol, DMSO and glucose were unsatisfactory. Recovery of cells after thawing was most successful when the cells had been frozen at a concentration of 1–2 × 109 cells/ml. No cells tolerated freezing at −20 °G. Best results were obtained when the cells were frozen directly in liquid nitrogen (−196°G).     

Sucrose dilution of glycerol from mouse embryos frozen rapidly in liquid nitrogen vapour

The toxic effects of sucrose and the conditions of in-straw glycerol removal after freezing and thawing were studied using Day-3 mouse embryos. At 20 degrees C, exposure to less than or equal to 1.0 M-sucrose for periods up to 30 min had no adverse effects on freshly collected embryos. At 25 and 36 degrees C, however, greater than or equal to 1.0 M-sucrose significantly reduced the developmental potential (P less than 0.001). In the freezing experiments the embryos were placed in 0.5 ml straws containing 40 microliters freezing medium separated by an air bubble from 440 microliters sucrose solution. The straws were frozen rapidly in the vapour about 1 cm above the surface of liquid nitrogen. The post-thaw viability was substantially better after sucrose dilution at 20 degrees C than at 36 degrees C. Mixing the freezing medium with the sucrose diluent immediately after thawing further improved the rate of survival relative to mixing just before freezing (P less than 0.001). The best survival was obtained when the freezing medium contained 3.0 M-glycerol + 0.25 M-sucrose; it was mixed with the diluent after thawing and the glycerol was removed at 20 degrees C. Under such conditions the sucrose concentration in the diluent had no significant effect on the rate of development (0.5 M, 69%; 1.0 M, 73%; 1.5 M, 64%). The results show that during sucrose dilution the temperature should be strictly controlled and suggest that intracellular and extracellular concentrations of glycerol are important in the cryoprotection of embryos.     

Design,development, and performance of an electromagnetic illumination system for thawing cryopreserved kidneys of rabbits and dogs

Kidneys from rabbits and dogs were perfused with one of several DMSO concentrations (0.0, 0.7, 1.4, 2.1 m) in a K⁺-Mg²⁺-rich perfusate, frozen, and then thawed with equipment providing electromagnetic (EM) illumination. Electrical properties (dielectric constant and loss tangent) of kidneys were measured both before and after EM thawing. The kidneys thawed were evaluated by simple anatomical (macroscopic and microscopic) and physiological observations rather than by transplantation.Rabbit kidneys which are no thicker than 2 cm could be optimally (uniformly and rapidly) thawed by use of illumination at 2450 MHz, a frequency which has a penetration depth of 2.1 cm at 0 °C, Optimal thawing of canine kidneys, which are twice as thick as rabbit kidneys, required the insertion of steel spheres (electroseeds) into the renal pelvis prior to freezing and illumination at 7 MHz in addition to that at 2450 MHz. Increasing the DMSO concentration (0.0 to 2.1 m) in renal tissue illuminated with 2450 MHz increased the conductivity and the permittivity regardless of whether the renal tissue was frozen or thawed. The use of DMSO decreased the time for thawing with EM illumination and yielded kidneys with improved post-thaw morphology.     

Survival ofEscherichia coli after storage in various frozen menstrua

The effect of storage at –9 C onEscherichia coli was examined. In buffer or water, survival after three days was less than 40%. Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) (10%) and glycerol (10%) were very protective with over 90% survivors. Variability of replicate samples was greater with frozen than with non-frozen suspensions.With a slide culture technique, it was found that the time required for the thawed cells to complete their first division was increased up to a time equivalent to over two divisions, dependent upon the protective storage menstrua.Injury as shown by inability to grow on a minimal medium after thawing was negligible when the cells were frozen in DMSO or glycerol. Cells stored in frozen buffer were sensitive to a 20 min treatment with actinomycin D following thawing but cells frozen in glycerol or DMSO showed little death or injury. The results suggest that an alteration of the cell envelope is initially responsible for death by freezing.This work was supported in part by U.S. Public Health Service Research Grant EF-428 from the Division of Environmental Engineering and Food Protection.