X-Message-Number: 2293
From:  (Gregory Bloom)
Newsgroups: sci.cryonics
Subject: Re: dehydration
Message-ID: <>
Date: 3 Jun 93 05:57:57 GMT

References: <> 
<>


In article <> Brian Wowk <> 
writes:
>  ...
>> Why don't we pre-dehydrate tissues by using a gently increasing hypertonic
>> perfusate prior to freezing?
> 
>        Very perceptive of you.  However, it turns out that cryoprotectants 
>such as glycerol already make the perfusate hypertonic, and greatly dehydrate 
>cells prior to freezing.  This dehydration effect is one of the main 
>mechanisms by which cryoprotectants protect against freezing damage.
> 
>                                                --- Brian Wowk 

Interesting.  So glycerol is used for both dehydration and ice inhibition.
Have there been studies done to separate the importance of either effect?
Or are there no inhibitors of ice formation that would not also dehydrate
the cells?  Also, given the apparent toxicity of glycerol, would there be
any advantage to simply dehydrating with salts and letting the remaining
water freeze?  (I suppose this would depend on how active the membrane
ion transport channels are down around 0 Deg C?)

Gregory Bloom


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