Importance of hydrophobic groups in ice recrystallization inhibitors

07 Feb 2013

Ice recrystallization inhibitors (IRIs) are very important when it comes to preventing cell damage which can occur during cryopreservation. This is particularly crucial for the cryopreservation of progenitor cells (such as certain types of stem cells) where the clinical outcome in regenerative therapies to treat acute injuries, is directly linked to an increased supply and quality of cells. Therefore there has been considerable interest in designing effective IRIs.

In this work, Robert Ben and colleagues from the University of Ottawa, Canada, investigated whether lysine-based surfactants/gelators and anti-ice nucleating agents could also possess IRI activity. The authors found that long alkyl chains were very important for potent IRI activity and that the position of these chains is critical. Although the exact mechanisms which would explain the role of these long alkyl chains in this process are still unclear, the results from this study will facilitate the design of IRIs for medical, commercial and industrial uses.