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Methods and comparative aspects of embryo cryopreservation in domestic animals
Author(s) -
SEIDEL G. E.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
equine veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.82
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 2042-3306
pISSN - 0425-1644
DOI - 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1989.tb04683.x
Subject(s) - cryopreservation , cryoprotectant , embryo , cryobiology , andrology , embryo cryopreservation , biology , ice formation , dehydration , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , medicine , atmospheric sciences , geology
Summary The most important principle of cryopreservation is that most of the water must be removed from cells before they freeze intracellularly. This is usually achieved by slow cooling after extracellular ice forms; dehydration occurs because the high concentration of salts in the medium remaining between the ice crystals draws water out of the cells. Cryoprotectants improve survival rates of frozen cells. However, osmotic damage must be minimised when cells are removed from cryoprotectant solutions after thawing. Successful methods of cryopreservation take these principles into account. Tolerance by embryos of cryopreservation procedures varies according to species and stage of embryonic development. Pig embryos are killed when cooled below 15°C. Of particular relevance is the finding that equine embryos less than 300 μm in diameter can by cryopreserved with current methods much more successfully than those larger than 300 μm. Further research is required to improve cryopreservation procedures for equine embryos.