Survival of Spermatozoa Following Drying

Abstract

JUST ten years ago, Nature published a report of the survival of spermatozoa following freezing in the presence of glycerol¹, a discovery of major importance which afterwards led to the preservation by freezing of a wide range of mammalian tissues. This procedure has proved eminently successful for long-term storage, its only drawbacks being the necessity for the introduction of glycerol and the need for very low temperatures of storage. For these reasons, the preservation of non-glycerolated living cells in the dried state at room temperature has added virtue in terms of practicability. This communication reports the successful accomplishment of the first step toward such an end; namely, the recovery of a high percentage of living cells following freeizng, drying, and reconstitution without storage.