Dimethyl Sulfoxide-Free Cryopreservation of Differentiated Human Neuronal Cells

In recent years, cells provided by cell banks and medical facilities have been used for cell therapy, regenerative therapy, and fundamental research. Cryopreservation is an effective means of maintaining stable cell quality over a long period of time. The slow freezing method is most suitable for processing many human cells isolated simultaneously from organs and tissues, but it is necessary to develop a freezing solution for this method. In this study, we report the successful development of a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-free freezing medium for differentiated neuronal cells. Neuronal differentiation results in the differentiation of undifferentiated SK-N-SH cells into neuronal cells. A basic freezing medium (BFM) was prepared using Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium, 1 M maltose, and 1% sericin as the essential ingredients, supplemented with 5%–40% propylene glycol (PG). Each BFM supplemented with 5%–40% PG was evaluated in undifferentiated cells. After thawing, BFM supplemented with 10% and 20% PG were 83% and 88% viable, respectively. There was no significant difference between the 10% and 20% PG groups. However, a significant difference was observed when the concentration of PG in the BFM decreased by 5% (5% PG vs. 10% PG; p = 0.0026). Each DMSO-free BFM was evaluated using differentiated neuronal cells. There was no significant difference between the 10% PG BFM and stem-CB-free groups. Viability was significantly different in the 10% glycerol BFM (4.8%) and 10% PG BFM (45%) (p = 0.028). The differentiated cells with 10% PG BFM showed higher adherence to culture dishes than those with 10% glycerol BFM. These results show that BFM containing PG was effective in differentiating neuronal cells. DMSO affects the central nervous system at low concentrations. This report indicates that DMSO is unsuitable for neuronal cells with multipotent differentiation potential. Therefore, it is essential for cell banking and transplantation medicine services to select appropriate cell freezing media.