Thermal expansion of cryoprotective agents and synthetic ice blockers

It has been recently reported that adding various synthetic ice blockers (SIBs) to the cryoprotective agent (CPA) cocktail DP6 decreased the onset of crystallization, which is a favorable condition for cryopreservation - the preservation of tissues at very low temperatures. DP6 is a CPA cocktail which has drawn significant attention in the cryobiology community in recent years. The current study focuses on thermal expansion measurements of tissue specimens permeated with the same SIB-CPA mixtures. Results of this study indicate lower thermal expansion in an SIB-DP6-tissue system when compared with the pure SIB-DP6 mixture, which may increase thermo-mechanical stress under some conditions. It is concluded that the inclusion of SIBs have the potential of improving the outcome of large-scale cryopreservation due to decreased tendency to crystallization.