Abstract
The cryopreservation of mammalian embryos has expanded over the past 20 yr by encompassing a range of sophisticated methods to deal with different developmental stages and different sensitivities to low-temperature exposure. We have described a method for slow, controlled-rate freezing of early stage embryos based on exposure to 1,2-propanediol and sucrose, while the method for late-stage (blastocyst) embryos employs mixtures of glycerol and sucrose. Both methods have been used for animal and human embryos. A third rapid cooling or “vitrification” technique is described, which depends on brief but controlled exposure of multicellular embryos to mixtures of glycerol and 1,2-propanediol at high concentrations. This technique is used for successful animal embryo cryopreservation but is not yet widely applied in the clinic.
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Fuller, B.J., Paynter, S.J. (2007). Cryopreservation of Mammalian Embryos. In: Day, J.G., Stacey, G.N. (eds) Cryopreservation and Freeze-Drying Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 368. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-362-2_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-362-2_23
Publisher Name: Humana Press
Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-377-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-362-2
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