Effect of high-voltage electrostatic field on cryopreservation of human epidermal melanocytes

Abstract

The objective of this research was to evaluate the influence of high-voltage electrostatic field (HVEF) on the freezing of human epidermal melanocytes (HEM) with respect to the degree of cell deformation, survival and proliferation rate after cell resuscitation. As a result, the degree of supercooling is increased by enhancing the strength of the static electric field in the range of 15 kV/m, and the maximum supercooling degree is 7.83±0.05 °C at 15 kV/m. By contrast, the morphology of the electric field assisted freezing cell after resuscitation was significantly improved, and the best electric field strength for cryopreservation is 15 kV/m. The survival rate of human epidermal melanocytes recovered was 88.03%, which was higher than that of the control group. The proliferation rate at 24, 48 and 72 hours are 17%, 28% and 25%, respectively, which are higher than that of the control cells. These findings demonstrate that the freezing HVEF can protect the cell physiological activity, and reduce the freezing damage. Therefore, the optimal HVEF cryopreservation technology be of great significance for the research of tissue engineering in repairing wounds, infections, and promote the development of food, medicine and other fields.