CRYOPRESERVATION AND ITS APPLICATIONS – A BRIEF REVIEW

Pani Kumar D. Anumolu, Gashikanti Mamatha*, Gokara Madhuri and Suraj Kumar

ABSTRACT

Cryopreservation is a technique used to preserve biological material by cooling it to very low temperatures, typically below -130℃, in order to halt all biological activity. The storage and preservation of human tissues, cells, and organs is a very important process in clinical as well as in research. The technique called cryopreservation is commonly used for it. The cryopreservation involves the addition of cryopreservation agents (CPAs) also know as cryoprotectants while storing the tissues or organs in a sub-zero environment. The study of cryopreservation typically outlines the key aspects of the process, including the methods used, the rationale behind the study, the results obtained. If often includes information on the cryoprotectants used to prevent ice formation and cell damage, the cooling and thawing protocols, and the viability of the preserved material after thawing. Cryopreservation can be achieved by conventional freezing and vitrification methods. Due to complexity and intrinsic differences between isolated cells and tissues, evaluation of the success of cryopreservation for tissues and organs is quite different from that of cells and more difficult. The factors such as cooling rate, thawing rate, different CPAs, their effects, and alternative preservation methods and gives a systematic insight into how they affect the viability of biological sample.

Keywords: Cryopreservation, Cryoprotectants, Vitrification, Thawing, Freeze-drying.