X-Message-Number: 11867
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 08:58:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: glycerol and DMSO

Quote from (J Histochemistry and Cytochemistry 34(10): 1301-1315 1986):

  "In the present study, initial trials indicated that glycerol was 
the most promising cryoprotectant and that it did not interfere with 
any of our standard neuroanatomical or neurohistochemical procedures.
However its rate of penetration was relatively slow, requiring very long
and potentially deleterious infiltration times where demonstration of
histochemical activity was of concern. As a consequence, the 2% DMSO was
added to the glycerol solutions not as a cryoprotectant but because it
facilitated penetration of the glycerol and reduced total infiltration
times by 50%."

  The above quote was with regard to chemically fixed blocks of monkey brain
tissue, being inflitrated with 20% glycerol solutions. IMHO, adding 2% DMSO to
standard glycerol solutions now in use with cryonics concerns, would
likely be beneficial. Has anyone done any experiments looking into this?

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