The effect of hydroxyethyl starch as a cryopreservation agent during freezing of mouse pancreatic islets

Islet transplantation is the most effective treatment strategy for type 1 diabetes. Long-term storage at ultralow temperatures can be used to prepare sufficient islets of good quality for transplantation. For freezing islets, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a commonly used penetrating cryoprotective agent (CPA). However, the toxicity of DMSO is a major obstacle to cell cryopreservation. Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) has been proposed as an alternative CPA. To investigate the effects of two types of nonpermeating CPA, we compared 4 % HES 130 and HES 200 to 10 % DMSO in terms of mouse islet yield, viability, and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). After one day of culture, islets were cryopreserved in each solution. After three days of cryopreservation, islet recovery was significantly higher in the HES 130 and HES 200 groups than in the DMSO group. Islet viability in the HES 200 group was also significantly higher than that in the DMSO group on Day 1 and Day 3. Stimulation indices determined by GSIS were higher in the HES 130 and 200 groups than in the DMSO group on Day 3. After three days of cryopreservation, HES 130 and HES 200 both reduced the expression of apoptosis- and necrosis-associated proteins and promoted the survival of islets. In conclusion, the use of HES as a CPA improved the survival and insulin secretion of cryopreserved islets compared with the use of a conventional CPA.