Freezing of cells--replacement of serum by oxypolygelatine

A commercially available plasma expander (Gelifundol) containing 5.5% oxypolygelatine in buffered saline was used instead of serum as a supplement for freezing several types of human cell and a mouse myeloma cell line in liquid nitrogen. Viability, recovery, proliferation and cytotoxic activity were compared after freezing with a plasma expander and after conventional freezing with human AB serum or fetal calf serum. The plasma expander proved to be equivalent or superior to AB serum by all parameters tested and acceptable even when compared with fetal calf serum. Furthermore, this preparation is cheap, sterile, free of BSE, viral and mycoplasmal contamination or antibodies and foreign serum proteins. We therefore recommend it for freezing of cells for culture of HLA typing.