Applications of Microwave Thawing to the Recovery of Deep Frozen Cells and Organs:A Review*

Abstract

AbstractLarge microwave insults, at a frequency of 2450 MHz, have been applied to deep-frozen adult canine kidneys, fetal mouse hearts and tissue culture cells, causing controlled temperature changes at rates up to 300°C/min, from −196°C to 23 ± 12°C. This paper describes the two microwave systems which have been used for heating a number of different biological samples, ranging in volume from 2 to 10ml, and presents some of the results obtained, together with the method used.The electrical activity of fetal mouse hearts, recovered from −196°C by microwave heating, has survived in a high percentage of cases. The hearts were taken from 17 to 19 day old embryos, frozen in 5 ml samples of Minimum Essential Medium with 25 mm Hepes buffer, 10% dimethyl sulfoxide and 10% fetal calf serum. Subsequent subcutaneous implantation in the ear of syngeneic adult mice was used; in this way electrical activity has been studied for periods up to 35 days. Resumption of electrical activity is obtained by microwave and water...