Contributions of unfrozen fraction and of salt concentration to the survival of slowly frozen human erythrocytes: influence of warming rate

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1983 · Cryobiology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0011-2240(83)90016-0· OSTI ID:5122912

Mazur, P; Rigopoulos, N

The general belief is that slow freezing injury is either the result of exposure to high salt concentrations or the result of excessive cell shrinkage. Ordinarily, salt concentration and the amount of liquid in the unfrozen channels are reciprocally related; but they can be separated within limits by varying the total concentration of solutes in the suspending medium while holding the mass ratio of additive to salt constant, and by then slowly freezing samples to various subzero temperatures. The authors have recently reported that when human red cells are frozen under these conditions and thawed rapidly, survival is more dependent on the unfrozen water fraction than it is on the salt concentration in that fraction. The present work compares these results with those obtained with slow thawing. While the general conclusion remains unaltered, slowly thawed cells were able to survive the freezing of a higher fraction of extracellular water than were rapidly thawed cells. Calculations were made of the changes in cell volume during the equilibration with glycerol and the subsequent freezing involved in these experiments.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5122912
• Journal Information: Cryobiology; (United States), Vol. 20
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ERYTHROCYTES
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
FREEZING
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CRYOBIOLOGY
GLYCEROL
HEATING RATE
HYPERTONIC SOLUTIONS
MAN
OSMOSIS
PHASE DIAGRAMS
VOLUME
ALCOHOLS
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGY
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
DIAGRAMS
DIFFUSION
DISPERSIONS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MIXTURES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PRIMATES
SOLUTIONS
VERTEBRATES
560201* - Thermal Effects- Cells- (-1987)