The effects of cryopreservation on the biaxial mechanical properties of canine saphenous veins.

The experimental and analytical methods presented in the companion paper [1] are used here to study the effects of cryopreservation on the in vitro biaxial random-elastic mechanical properties of canine saphenous veins. The properties of specimens tested in their physiological range of loadings immediately after thawing were not significantly different from their properties before cryopreservation. However, they stiffened significantly in the few hours following thawing. This effect was not observed for aging fresh specimens, nor for cyanide-poisoned specimens, indicating that the static tone of the venous smooth muscle may be affected by cryopreservation and thawing, but the elastin and collagen fibers are most likely unaffected.