Al-Attar Rasha, Storey Kenneth B
Institute of Biochemistry and Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Institute of Biochemistry and Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2022 Aug-Sep;261:110747. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2022.110747. Epub 2022 Apr 20.
The freeze-tolerant wood frog, Rana sylvatica, is one of the very few vertebrate species known to endure full body freezing in winter and thaw in early spring without any significant sign of damage. Once frozen, wood frogs show no cardiac or lung activity, brain function, or physical movement yet resume full physiological and biochemical functions within hours after thawing. The miraculous ability to tolerate such extreme stresses makes wood frogs an attractive model for identifying the molecular mechanisms that can promote freeze/thaw endurance. Recapitulating these pro-survival strategies in transplantable human cells and organs could improve viability post-thaw leading to better post-transplant outcomes, in addition to providing more time for adequate distribution of these transplantable materials across larger geographical areas. Indeed, several laboratories are beginning to mimic the pro-survival responses observed in wood frogs to preservation of human cells, tissues and organs and, to date, a few trials have been successful in extending preservation time prior to transplantation. In this review, we discuss the biology of the freeze-tolerant wood frog, current advances in biobanking based on these animals, and extend our discussion to future prospects for cryopreservation as an aid to regenerative medicine.
耐冻林蛙（Rana sylvatica）是已知的极少数能够在冬季全身冻结并在早春解冻且无明显损伤迹象的脊椎动物物种之一。一旦被冻结，林蛙的心脏和肺部活动、脑功能或身体运动都会停止，但在解冻后的数小时内就能恢复全部生理和生化功能。这种耐受极端压力的神奇能力使林蛙成为识别可促进冻融耐受性分子机制的有吸引力的模型。除了为这些可移植材料在更大地理区域的充分分配提供更多时间外，在可移植的人类细胞和器官中重现这些促生存策略可以提高解冻后的存活率，从而带来更好的移植后结果。事实上，几个实验室已经开始模仿在林蛙中观察到的促生存反应来保存人类细胞、组织和器官，到目前为止，一些试验已经成功地延长了移植前的保存时间。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了耐冻林蛙的生物学特性、基于这些动物的生物样本库的当前进展，并将讨论扩展到冷冻保存作为再生医学辅助手段的未来前景。
