Cryopreservation is a technology which rapidly develops in the 1970s. It can allow to preserve cells, tissues and organs and other biological materials under low temperature or ultra-low temperature conditions, can effectively ensure the genetic and morphological stability of biological materials, biology, medicine , agronomy and other fields have a wide range of applications. However, in the cryopreservation of ice crystals in the uncontrollable growth will greatly damage the cells and other preservation objects. The currently-used cryopreservation solutions, such as glycerol, dimethyl sulfoxide, etc., have the problem of suppressing the low growth efficiency of ice crystals, high toxicity and dehydration of cells. The work was published in the German Applied Chemistry, which also publishes other studies on recombinant horse proteins.

Recently, Wang Jianjun, a researcher at the Key Laboratory of Green Printing of the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shi Guosheng, a researcher at the Institute of Applied Physics, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Fang Haiping, a researcher based on antifreeze proteins, are able to avoid the risk of freezing caused by living organisms in cold areas. The mechanism of antifreeze protein can effectively reduce the icing temperature and inhibit the growth and recrystallization of ice crystals. Methyl and hydroxyl groups on the ice bound face of the protein and the ice water on the surface can be selectively adsorbed to the surface of ice crystals, and the growth of ice crystals can be inhibited.

Inspired by antifreeze proteins, they developed GO-controlled ice crystal growth studies based on the carbon skeleton structure of graphene (GO). The study showed that GO not only can effectively inhibit the growth and recrystallization of ice crystals, but also can modify the ice crystal morphology. The simulation results of molecular dynamics showed that the surface of GO has a stable ice-like water, making GO more inclined to form a stable hydrogen bond with solid ice, which can be selectively adsorbed to the surface of ice crystals in the presence of large amounts of liquid water. After GO adsorbs to the ice crystal surface, the ice between the ice forms a curve and inhibits the ice crystal growth through the Gibbs-Thompson effect.

They also used GO for cryopreserved cells for the first time. When GO was used as cryopreservation agent, GO exhibited a very good cryopreservation effect compared with commercial antifreeze, and the addition of 0.01 wt% GO increased the sperm motility from 24.3% to 71.3%. This study not only extends the application of two-dimensional materials, but also greatly enhances the understanding of the formation of ice crystals at the molecular level. Flarebio provides you with recombinant proteins of good quality such as recombinant TLR2.