Dimethyl Sulfoxide protects cell from freezing damage by removing water from the cell membrane

What is it about?

Organ transplantation is a life-saver for end-state organ failure. The organs need to be preserved at freezing temperature for transplantation. About two-thirds of our cell is composed of water. Liquid water displays anomalous properties in stark contrast to other liquids, for instance, liquid water expands on cooling to ice water. These anomalous behaviours are attributed to its unique ability to form extensive hydrogen bond network. Therefore, freezing organs can cause damage to the cell. To mitigate this, one can use cryoprotectant. DMSO has been used as a cryoprotectant for over four decades. But the microscopic level mechanism of its cryoprotecting ability remains elusive.

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