ERYTHROCYTE FREEZING DURING THE MODIFICATION IN COMPOSITION OF CRYOCONSERVANT BASED ON GLYCEROL

Abstract

Damage to red blood cells occurring during freezing can also develop with transfusion. An increase in the concentration of free iron in the blood during the destruction of red blood cells results in an acceleration of the reactive oxygen species production, peroxide damage to cells and stimulation of inflammation. With multiple transfusions of red blood cells, the function of internal organs may be impaired as a result of iron overload. The cryoprotective properties of glycerol include its collegiate ability to reduce the concentration of NaCl at temperatures below 0°C. However, it was found out that the cryoprotective efficacy of glycerol was far less than it was expected from its colligative properties. Damage to red blood cells during their rapid thawing is the result of osmotic shock due to the inability of an excess of intracellular glycerol to exit the cells quickly enough to prevent their swelling and hemolysis. These data indicate the need to reduce the glycerol concentration in the cryoconservant. However, maintaining the protective effectiveness of the cryoprotectant requires a decrease in the NaCl concentration. This study investigates the effect of the composition of the cryoconservant on erythrocyte hemolysis during freezing and hypothermic storage. We used 2 types of cryoconservants: a) 38% (w / v) glycerin, 2.9% sorbitol, 0.63% NaCl (standard composition); b) 28% (w / v) glycerol, 6.8% sorbitol, 0.25% NaCl (modified composition). It was found out that a decrease in the concentration of glycerol and an increase in the concentration of sorbitol leads to a decrease in the erythrocyte hemolysis. The results obtained suggest that a change in the composition of the cryoconservant will reduce osmotic stress during thawing of red blood cells, which, in turn, will reduce their destruction upon transfusion and the likelihood of inflammation.