TY - JOUR
T1 - Cryoprotective Polysaccharides with Ordered Gel Structures Induce Ice Growth Anticipation and Survival Enhancement during Cell Cryopreservation
AU - Guerreiro, Bruno M.
AU - Dionísio, M. Madalena
AU - Lima, João Carlos
AU - Silva, Jorge Carvalho
AU - Freitas, Filomena
N1 - Funding Information:
This work received financial support from FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Portugal), in the scope of projects UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences\u2500UCIBIO, LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy\u2500i4HB, UID/QUI/50006/2013 of LAQV-REQUIMTE and LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020, and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling, and Nanofabrication-i3N. B.M.G. also acknowledges PhD grant funding by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT I.P. (SFRH/BD/144258/2019).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2024/6/10
Y1 - 2024/6/10
N2 - This work cross-correlated rheological, thermodynamic, and conformational features of several natural polysaccharides to their cryoprotective performance. The basis of cryoprotection of FucoPol, pectin, and agar revealed a causal combination of (i) an emerging sol-gel transition (p = 0.014) at near-hypothermia (4 °C), (ii) noncolligative attenuated supercooling of the kinetic freezing point of water (p = 0.026) supporting ice growth anticipation, and (iii) increased conformational order (p < 0.0001), where helix-/sheet-like features boost cryoprotection. FucoPol, of highest cryoprotective performance, revealed a predominantly helical structure (α/β = 1.5) capable of forming a gel state at 4 °C and the highest degree of supercooling attenuation (TH = 6.2 °C). Ice growth anticipation with gel-like polysaccharides suggests that the gel matrix neutralizes elastic deformations and lethal cell volumetric fluctuations during freezing, thus preventing the loss of homeostasis and increasing post-thaw viability. Ultimately, structured gels capable of attenuated supercooling enable cryoprotective action at the polymer-cell interface, in addition to polymer-ice interactions. This rationale potentiates implementing alternative, biobased, noncytotoxic polymers in cryobiology.
AB - This work cross-correlated rheological, thermodynamic, and conformational features of several natural polysaccharides to their cryoprotective performance. The basis of cryoprotection of FucoPol, pectin, and agar revealed a causal combination of (i) an emerging sol-gel transition (p = 0.014) at near-hypothermia (4 °C), (ii) noncolligative attenuated supercooling of the kinetic freezing point of water (p = 0.026) supporting ice growth anticipation, and (iii) increased conformational order (p < 0.0001), where helix-/sheet-like features boost cryoprotection. FucoPol, of highest cryoprotective performance, revealed a predominantly helical structure (α/β = 1.5) capable of forming a gel state at 4 °C and the highest degree of supercooling attenuation (TH = 6.2 °C). Ice growth anticipation with gel-like polysaccharides suggests that the gel matrix neutralizes elastic deformations and lethal cell volumetric fluctuations during freezing, thus preventing the loss of homeostasis and increasing post-thaw viability. Ultimately, structured gels capable of attenuated supercooling enable cryoprotective action at the polymer-cell interface, in addition to polymer-ice interactions. This rationale potentiates implementing alternative, biobased, noncytotoxic polymers in cryobiology.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192788370&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00040
DO - 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00040
M3 - Article
C2 - 38739855
AN - SCOPUS:85192788370
SN - 1525-7797
VL - 25
SP - 3384
EP - 3397
JO - Biomacromolecules
JF - Biomacromolecules
IS - 6
ER -