Major Concerns with the Cryostorage of Mammalian Cell Cultures

Cell cultures are of 3 types, viz. animal/human, bacterial and plant. In the laboratory, storage protocols are used to keep, preserve or regenerate these cells. However, the situation in all 3 cell types, with regard to the reason for storage, is different. It's known that when using mammalian (animal/human) cells in tissue culture experiments, not only is the factor of contamination a problem (like in plant tissue culture and micropropagation), but cryostorage is also a major concern. Freeze fractures, uncontrollable cell death, untimely cell proliferation and the formation of ice-crystals are possibilities that exist during the cryofreezing of stored mammalian cell cultures. In this article, the major concerns pertaining to cryostorage in mammalian cells will be discussed. Although not much emphasis would be placed on treatment protocols, this paper provides important emphasis on the need to use ‘constituent-designed’ (the correct proportions) storage protocols.