Airway contractility in the precision-cut lung slice after cryopreservation

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Cell Biology
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) are valuable for airway biology research.
• Limited tissue viability restricts the experimental window for PCLS.
• Current limitations hinder the widespread adoption of PCLS for assessing airway reactivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of cryopreserving PCLS for long-term storage.
• To assess the impact of freezing and thawing on PCLS viability and function.
• To determine if frozen-thawed PCLS can be used for airway reactivity studies.

Main Methods:

• Murine PCLS were cryopreserved and stored long-term.
• Frozen-thawed PCLS were compared to fresh (never-frozen) PCLS.
• Cell viability, metabolic activity, and airway caliber responses were measured.

Main Results:

• Frozen-thawed PCLS exhibited decreased metabolic activity, comparable to other cryopreserved tissues.
• No significant differences were observed in cell viability between fresh and frozen-thawed PCLS.
• Airway caliber responses to methacholine and chloroquine remained unchanged in frozen-thawed PCLS.

Conclusions:

• Cryopreservation is a viable method for long-term storage of PCLS.
• Freezing and thawing do not compromise PCLS cell viability or airway reactivity.
• This approach extends the utility of PCLS for airway biology and reactivity studies.