Cryoprotectant Based on Glass-Forming Aqueous Solution of Magnesium Acetate

For the first time, a cryoprotectant based on a glass-forming aqueous solution of magnesium acetate—a metal essential for the human body—has been obtained and studied using DSC analysis. This cryoprotectant, Mg(CH3COO)2∙12H2O, surpasses existing analogs in the following aspects: it has a high glass-forming ability (transitions from the glassy state to liquid without crystallization), is non-toxic, and is easily produced. Its cryoprotective ability, demonstrated using chicken egg white, is independent of cooling and heating rates. It has been shown that the Mg(CH3COO)2–H2O system contains five additional potential cryoprotectants and a preservative suitable for the hypothermic storage of biological material. Using density functional theory (DFT), the molecular mechanism preventing damage and death of biological material placed in favorable cryopreservation solutions of the Mg(CH3COO)2–H2O system has been established.