Thermal analysis of cryoprotective solutions for red blood cells.

A differential scanning calorimeter was used to study the thermal behavior of glycerol-water solutions (binary system) and the more complex glycerol-based cryoprotective solutions that are used clinically in order to examine the cryoprotective role of glycerol in preserving frozen red blood cells. The melting and glass transition temperatures for the clinically used cryoprotective solutions were as expected, based on the nonequilibriumphase diagram for cryoprotective solutions incorporating isotonic phosphate-buffered saline. Two zones were identified in which solidification occurred without the formation of ice crystals: a glassy state that is crystallographically amorphous was found for glycerol concentrations between 40 and 55% in the binary system and between 45 and 60% in the complex system; a glassy state in the complete absence of ice was found at glycerol concentrations greater than 55% for the binary system or 60% for the complex system. In clinical practice, cryoprotectants are used at initial concentrations lower than those at which these two glassy states occur but there is an increase in the effective glycerol concentration inside and outside the cells as ice forms during the freezing process.