Dimethyl sulfoxide in cryopreservation: an overview

Cryopreservation is a process that preserves intact living cells, tissues or any other biological constructs by cooling and storing the samples to very low temperatures in order to maintain their viability and to save them for future use. At very low temperatures, enzymatic and chemical activities that may cause harm to the biological material are effectively stopped. Cryopreservation methods look to reach very low temperatures without causing further harm caused by the creation of ice crystals during freezing. Cryopreservation human samples for storage including variety of diseases such as cancer, genetic and degenerative disorders and bio-banking. This review aims to describe and highlight dimethyl sulfoxide in cryopreservation. Dimethyl sulfoxide is a non-toxic solvent and is one of the most commonly used pharmaceutical agent with a varied range of pharmacological actions including membrane penetration, anti-inflammatory effects and local analgesia as well as weak bacteriostatic. The main use of dimethyl sulfoxide is a vehicle for some drugs to enhancing the action of the drug and helping penetration of other drugs into the skin. However, dimethyl sulfoxide has been the cryopreservative agent of choice in situation to its exceptional performance in mitigating freezing-related damages. It is frequently used in cell banking applications as a cryoprotectant. When added to media, it prevents intracellular and extracellular crystals from forming in cells during the freezing process. There has been a concern over the toxicity of dimethyl sulfoxide and its potential side effects in different highly concentration after administration to patients. Therefore, there has been growing demand for robust dimethyl sulfoxide for cryopreservation method that can improve safety and maintain potency and efficacy