Glycerol-glucose cryopreservation of platelets. In vivo and in vitro observations

Extended storage of platelets can be achieved by cryopreservation. However, most cryopreservation techniques require extensive manipulation prior to administration, limiting their practicality. A simple cryopreservative system using glycerol and glucose as cryoprotectants would eliminate the need to wash the platelets after freezing, since neither of these agents is toxic. We evaluated such a system in vivo and compared the results to 72-hour liquid-stored platelets. The percentage of in vivo recovery was significantly less (p less than 0.01) for cryopreserved (21.1 +/- 3.4% [chi +/- 1 SD]) than liquid-stored (43.8 +/- 7.4%) platelets, but those frozen-thawed cells that were viable had normal survivals (8.4 +/- 1.7 days). Liquid-stored cell appeared to be less viable (5.9 +/- 1.8 days). These results indicate that cryopreservation with the glycerol-glucose system produces significant injury to the majority of platelets and therefore, is inadequate for general blood bank use.