Comparative study of the effectiveness of dimethyl sulfoxide and polyvinylpyrrolidone in the preservation of human leukemic blood cells at −80°C

Abstract

Summary The cryoprotective effectiveness of PVP K-15 was found to be optimal for WBC when used at a concentration of 20%. The toxicity of DMSO for WBC is more pronounced at room temperature (20–22°C) than at 4°C, whereas these temperatures did not seem to affect the toxicity of PVP K-15. DMSO at a concentration of 12.5% is more toxic to leukemic cells than 20% PVP K-15. The ideal rate of cooling is −2 to −3°C per min. The rate of cooling is more critical when DMSO is used as the preservative, as compared with PVP K-15. When DMSO and PVP K-15 are used as preservatives, under optimal conditions, DMSO proved to be more effective than PVP K-15 in the preservation of human leukemic blood cells.