DMSO makes the cell membrane porous which protects the cell from damage during thawing. while glycerol protects the membrane structure and maintains the nature of internal proteins.

DMSO makes the cell membrane porous which protects the cell from damage during thawing. while glycerol protects the membrane structure and maintains the nature of internal proteins.

Thanks for your immediate reply. but still i am in doubt why we are not using Glycerol to preserve our cells.?like wise DMSO for microbes

Dear Kalpana,

I dont think there is any special reason behind such a difference, people just follow what is tried out by ATCC. Glycerol can be used to freeze animal cell cultures and It is considered better for some sensitive cell lines, where long DMSO exposure could be toxic ( I have used 5% glycerol+20% serum as freezing medium for some cell lines) .

In addition being a metabolite you also do not need to remove it before plating the cells while defreezing . Anyway for some cell lines we ll have to make sure that glycerol doesn't cause any osmotic lysis. For further ref see the link below

http://www.labautopedia.com/mw/index.php/General_Guide_for_Cryogenically_Storing_Animal_Cell_Cultures

Hope it helps

Thank you very much Manoj for your valuable reply

Nice to know it; really helpful!

Technically well explained in this chapter...go through it!

http://people.ucalgary.ca/~kmuldrew/cryo_course/cryo_chap8_1.html

A wide variety of chemicals provide adequate cryoprotection. However,

dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and glycerol are the most convenient and widely used. DMSO is most often used at a final concentration of 5 to15% (v/v).

Some cell lines are adversely affected by prolonged contact with DMSO. This can be reduced or eliminated by adding the DMSO to the cell suspension at 4°C and removing it immediately upon thawing. If this does not help, lower the concentration or try glycerol. Glycerol is generally used at a final concentration of between 5 and 20% (v/v). Although less toxic to cells than DMSO, glycerol can cause osmotic problems, especially after thawing. Always add it at room temperature or above, and remove slowly by dilution. High serum concentrations may also help cells survive freezing.

quite useful information-thank you!

for recombinant bacteria storage, can we use 10% DMSO? thanks

Most commonly used DMSO concentration for bacterial stocks seems to be between 5-7%