Investigation on the suitable pressure for the preservation of astrocyte

The effects of pressure on the survival rate of astrocytes in growth medium (DMEM) were investigated at room temperature and at 40C, in an effort to establish the best conditions for the preservation. Survival rate at 40C was found to be higher than that at room temperature. The survival rate of astrocytes preserved for 4 days at 40C increased with increasing pressure up to 1.6 MPa, but decreased with increasing pressure above 1.6 MPa. At 10 MPa, all astrocytes died. The survival rate of cultured astrocytes decreased significantly following pressurization for 2 hours and the subsequent preservation for 2 days at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain pressure when preserving astrocytes. These results indicate that the cells can be stored at 40C under pressurization without freezing and without adding cryoprotective agents. Moreover, it may be possible to use this procedure as a new preservation method when cryopreservation is impractical.