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| credit: bigpictureeducation.com |
"For decades we have employed slow freezing of gametes and embryos and performed the dehydration and rehydration steps at room temperature with results which until recently were considered satisfactory.
Today, vitrification is the cryopreservation method of choice in many clinics and alternative protocols are available. Different manufacturers of vitrification products have different recommendations regarding procedure temperature, commonly either room temperature or 37⁰C, but which is the optimal temperature for vitrification and why? This blog post will give you insight.
The role of cryoprotectants and temperature
My colleague Hubert has in a previous post written about three factors to keep an eye on for successful vitrification, one of them is cryoprotectants. Vitrification uses high concentration of cryoprotective agents (CPRs) to avoid intracellular ice crystal formation. However, the high concentration of CPRs in the vitrification solutions increase the risk of cell damage by elevated chemical toxicity and osmotic stress.
Hence, to be able to choose the optimal vitrification products we need to know not only which temperature is the optimal for the survival of oocytes and embryos but also consider their subsequent development.
The key to good results in vitrification is to find a balance between cryotoxicity (CPR concentration), temperature and exposure times..."
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