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Updated: May 24, 2026
Vitrification of Ovarian Cortex Tissue to Achieve a Glassy State of Aggregation
Published on: August 9, 2024
Viability and function of the cryopreserved whole rat ovary: comparison between slow-freezing and vitrification
Milan Milenkovic1, César Diaz-Garcia, Ann Wallin
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Objective:
To investigate four different protocols for cryopreservation of the whole rat ovary with intact vasculature to evaluate whether differences exist in post-thawing viability of the ovary after either vitrification or slow freezing.
Design:
Experimental study.
Setting:
Obstetrics and gynecology department.
Animal(S):
Immature Sprague-Dawley female rats.
Intervention(S):
Ovaries were isolated with the vascular tree intact up to the bifurcation of the abdominal aorta and were subsequently cannulated. The ovaries were flushed with increasing concentrations of the cryoprotectant dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to either 1.5 or 7 M. The ovaries underwent cryopreservation by vitrification or passive slow freezing.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
After thawing, the ovaries were subjected to neutral red viability staining to assess the density of viable small follicles and for long-term (48 hours) incubation evaluation of steroid secretion, histology, and apoptosis assay.
Result(S):
The follicular viability was decreased in both vitrification groups and in the slow-freezing group with the high concentration of DMSO, as compared with fresh controls. Estradiol levels in the incubation medium followed the same pattern. Light microscopy revealed well-preserved morphology in all groups after 48 hours' incubation. Apoptosis was increased in both vitrified and cryopreserved ovaries.
Conclusion(S):
We have developed a new method that can be used in basic studies to improve cryopreservation protocols. Our initial findings suggest that a moderate concentration of the cryoprotectant DMSO is superior to a high DMSO concentration for both vitrification and slow freezing.
