glycerol as a protectant during freezing? - workingprinciple (Jun/19/2008 )

Hallo all,

can anybody explain me in short how glyerol procets cells during freezing?

If I am not mistaken glycerol penetrates the cells, but how does it really protect the organisms?
It alters the saltconcetration ? or it prevents the fluid in the cell from freezing itself?

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Hi Pito,

glycerol minimizes (or in higher concentrations even prevents) the production of water crystals, that can be sharped edged and would pierce into the cell walls.

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prevents in higher concentration, you mean that the glycerol lowers the freezing temperature so much that there is no freezing at all?

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depends on the temperature here

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That is a cool table! Thanks.

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To the explanation of freezing damage being based on ice crystals that "puncture" the cell membrane.

Anyone actually have citation for data - better yet micrographs - demonstrating this?

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I was thinking the same thing.
I did read some text that stated that glycerol helped in preventing the formation of larger cristals. (glycerol stimulates the formation of smaller cristals)
But I indeed did not read that it would helpt in preventing the puncturing of cell membrane or cellparts in general.

However I do think its a logical idea that larger cristals might damage the cell structure.
So I think it might be true.

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If science were always logical - we'd not bother running the experiments.

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