Vitrification-based cryopreservation of tissues: Strengths and existing problems / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Vitrification-based cryopreservation is a promising cryopreservation method, which can change the state of the biological materials by using high concentration vitrification reagent to realize active preservation. OBJECTIVE: To review the biological principle of vitrification-based cryopreservation, the classification of cryopreservation reagents, as well as the cryopreservation of ovary skin, cornea and other medical tissue specimens. METHODS: PubMed and WanFang databases were searched for relevant articles published from January 1994 through October 2019. Search terms were “tissue; vitrification; cryopreservation” in English and Chinese, respectively. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 45 articles were finally included in result analysis.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The process of vitrification-based cryopreservation can avoid ice crystallization by which the cells are damaged, and effectively preserve the cell’s biological activity and basic functions. Vitrified cryopreservation reagents can be divided into permeable and non-permeable reagents. Their operation is simple and efficient. The only disadvantage is that the high concentration of cryopreservation reagents can cause some toxic injuries to the cells. To reduce the risk of overall tissue damage, a variety of low-toxic cryopreservation reagents can be mixed and used. At present, vitrification-based cryopreservation technology has been successfully applied in a variety of cells. However, the technical problems in the cryopreservation of tissues have not been solved completely.