Anti-Icing Organogel Enables Quasi-Homogeneous Supercooling Preservation of Mouse Hearts

Supercooling preservation holds great promise for extending the storage limits of organs. However, supercooled systems are susceptible to stochastic ice nucleation, which can cause fatal damage to the organs. In this study, an organogel interface composed of nanoscale polydimethylsiloxane and dimethyl-silicone oil is proposed, which presents a significant energy barrier for ice nucleation, comparable to that of homogeneous nucleation. The organogel effectively eliminates primary ice nucleation sites, enabling a quasi-homogeneous supercooling preservation system that does not rely on cryoprotectant agents or machine perfusion. Through a series of statistical experiments, this approach is demonstrated to be able to maintain stable supercooling and preserve mouse hearts at -4 °C for up to 72 h. A comprehensive assessment conducted at multiple scales indicates that the 36-h supercooling preservation at -4 °C significantly mitigates cardiac injury by regulating mitochondrial structure and reducing metabolic rates. Utilizing a heart transplantation model with prognostic evaluations extending up to 3 months post-transplantation, supercooling preservation within the quasi-homogeneous system is confirmed, which can double the storage duration compared to clinically applied hypothermic preservation methods.