Use of Inert Gases for the Preservation of Nuclear Blood Cells

Abstract

The subject of the study was the stability of human white blood cell membranes subject to noble gases (xenon ad krypton, 0.6 mPa) clathrate cryoanabiosis (-80°C). A unique portable stainless steel low pressure container with a compartment for flexible plastic container was designed to ensure that the cells are saturated with gases. The samples were warmed after 1 and 30 days in a water bath (+38°C) for 35-50 sec, while the container was being tilted (2-3 times per second), until the temperature of the biological object reached +3±1°C. It was demonstrated that after 30 days of clathrate anabiosis (-80°C) over 95% (of the original number) of leukocytes remain viable, and cell membranes of 54.5±3.4% of them is resistant to trypan blue; granulocyte survival rate is 73.5±2.7%, original lipid peroxidation rate and antioxidant activity are retained. Biological object cryopreservation in noble gases environment is a promising trend in biology and medicine.

Influence of Xenon on Survival of Sperm of Common Frog Rana temporaria during Slow Freezing

“…Among the hydrateforming gases, xenon seems to be most promising for cryopreservation, because xenon gas hydrates are highly stable and are formed at near-zero temperature and relatively low pressure of about 1.5 bar [1,4,8,11]. The cryoprotective effect of xenon and other heavy inert gases during freezing was experimentally demon-strated in just few works [1,2,6,9,10]. The absence of the cryoprotective effect of xenon during slow freezing was also reported [5].…”