Freeze-drying of solutions of serum albumin containing dimethylsulfoxide.

Although several publications have emphasized the inadvisability of drying biologic materials containing dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) by sublimation of ice in vacuo, our studies showed a relationship to exist between the relative concentrations of serum albumin, human, and dimethylsulfoxide for successful or unsuccessful freeze-drying of albumin-DMSO solutions. The cycle of freeze-drying for the successful drying of an albumin-DMSO solution was a modification of the cycle used for the successful drying of suspensions of measles virus by sublimation of ice in vacuo. Using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a strong, sharp signal for DMSO was obtained in preparations of freeze-dried albumin-DMSO solutions rehydrated with deuterium oxide, D₂O.