[Progress in the study of lyophilization of human red blood cells--review]

Now the clinical preservation methods of human red blood cells mainly include hypothermic storage (4 degrees C) and cryopreservation (-80 degrees C or -196 degrees C). The preservation time of hypothermic storage of red blood cells is relatively short and it is easy to be contaminated by microbes. Cryopreservation greatly prolongs the storage time, but it needs heavy storage equipments. Because the protective solutions in cryopreservation contain glycerol, red blood cells need complicated washing in order to remove glycerol. These shortage methods limit their application to some special conditions, such as war or natural disasters. Compared with conventional preservation methods of red blood cells, lyophilization has many advantages such as less weight, convenient transportation, room temperature preservation, prone to be rehydrated. In this review, the progress and challenge in the development of lyophilization of red blood cells, especially application of trehalose and its mechanism in the lyophilization of red blood cells were systematically discussed. This review can provide some theoretic guidance for developing a safe, simple and efficient preservation approach of red blood cells by lyophilization.