Universal model for intracellular ice formation and its growth

Abstract

AbstractThe intracellular ice volume (IIV) term, Vice(c,T), is introduced into the classical water transport model developed by P. Mazur so that the modified model is capable of predicting cell volumetric change even after intracellular ice formation (IIF). By coupling the modified P. Mazur's model, ice nucleation, and the diffusion‐limited ice growth theory, the new model describing IIF and the growth of the intracellular ice (IIG) is developed based on J. O. M. Karlsson's work in 1994. The new model could be used to predict IIF, IIG, the final volumetric fraction of the intracellular ice, and the size distribution of the intracellular ice crystals. The major advantage of the new model is that it can provide reasonable intracellular information for both high cryoprotective agent (CPA) and low CPA concentrations without “Avrami correction”. The new model is then used to study the effect of cooling rate and initial CPA concentration on IIF and IIG. Three interesting phenomena, “hydration of salt ions (Na+ and Cl−)”, “crustaceous vitrification”, and “local vitrification” are presented, and their effects on IIF and IIG are studied in detail. It is found that all three of these factors have significant influences on the predicted critical cooling rate for the vitrification of the intracellular solution. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006