Bone marrow cryopreservation: biological aspects.

Ten bone marrow suspensions have been cryopreserved by a Programmed Freezer Planer R 201. Total cellularity, viability, differential myelograms, cytochemical pattern and CFU-GM growth "in vitro", have been evaluated on the cellular suspensions both before and after 1 and 18 months of storage in liquid nitrogen. Total cellular recovery and viable cell recovery were satisfactory, cellular loss being due, almost entirely to death of the more mature cells. NASDA reaction did not vary after freezing, on the contrary peroxidase reaction and overall PAS reaction showed respectively a slight and an almost complete disappearance. LAP reaction was not valuable, after freezing, because of the more mature myeloid cell loss. CFU-GM recovery was satisfactory and clusters and colonies growth in methylcellulose appeared quite similar before and after 1 and 18 months of storage at very low temperature. Our cryopreservation technique cannot prevent some cellular loss or some qualitative cellular damage, but colonizing ability is almost completely preserved.