VITRIFICATION OF SAIGA (SAIGA TATARICA) SKIN FIBROBLASTS: EFFECT OF CRYOPROTECTANT COMPOSITION AND ULTRA-RAPID COOLING AT −205 °C

Main Article Content

Authors

Ye. Toishibekov

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

A. Grachev

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

M. Salmenova

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

T. Nurkenov

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

B. Katubayeva

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

D. Toishybek

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

I. Kumayeva

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

A. Khamchukova

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

M. Bespalov

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

S. Bespalov

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

S. Saparbayev

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

S. Kantarbayev

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

A. Chimiruk

Laboratory of Cryobiology and Germplasm Biobank of Wild Animals, Institute of Zoology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Abstract

Background. The saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) remains exposed to recurrent mass mortality, and a bank of viable somatic cells can insure its genetic diversity. Vitrification of saiga cells has not been studied. Aim. To establish fibroblast lines from neonatal saiga calves and to compare three vitrification solutions under two cooling regimens. Methods. Ear skin explants from 50 calves (25 males, 25 females) aged up to two weeks from the Betpak-Dala region were cultured in DMEM. Cells were loaded stepwise with 20% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 20% ethylene glycol (EG) or 20% DMSO + 20% EG, each with 0.5 M sucrose, and cooled in 0.25 mL straws either in liquid nitrogen (−196 °C) or in subcooled nitrogen at −205 °C (super-cooling ultra-rapid vitrification, SCURV). Viability was assessed by trypan blue exclusion (n = 50 lines per group). Results. Cell outgrowth began on days 6–10 of culture. Two-way ANOVA showed effects of both the cooling regimen (p < 0.001; η² = 0.19) and the solution (p < 0.001; η² = 0.04), without interaction. SCURV increased viability by 6.1 percentage points (95% CI 4.7–7.5), and the DMSO + EG mixture by 3.1 points relative to either single agent (p = 0.001); DMSO and EG did not differ. The highest viability, 53.9 ± 5.9%, was obtained with DMSO + EG under SCURV. Conclusions. The DMSO + EG mixture combined with ultra-rapid cooling at −205 °C was the most effective vitrification protocol. Samples of all 50 calves were added to the saiga somatic cell cryobank.

Keywords

saiga antelope, Saiga tatarica, fibroblasts, vitrification, slush nitrogen, ethylene glycol, dimethyl sulfoxide, cryobank

Article Details

References

IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group. Saiga tatarica // The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T19832A233712210. – 2023. – DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T19832A233712210.en

Kock R.A., Orynbayev M., Robinson S. et al. Saigas on the brink: multidisciplinary analysis of the factors influencing mass mortality events // Science Advances. – 2018. – Vol. 4, № 1. – Article eaao2314. – PMID: 29376120. – DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao2314

Fereidouni S., Freimanis G.L., Orynbayev M. et al. Mass die-off of saiga antelopes, Kazakhstan, 2015 // Emerging Infectious Diseases. – 2019. – Vol. 25, № 6. – P. 1169–1176. – PMID: 31107235. – DOI: 10.3201/eid2506.180990

Orynbayev M., Sultankulova K., Sansyzbay A. et al. Biological characterization of Pasteurella multocida present in the Saiga population // BMC Microbiology. – 2019. – Vol. 19, № 1. – Article 37. – PMID: 30744550. – DOI: 10.1186/s12866-019-1407-9

Mooney A., Ryder O.A., Houck M.L. et al. Maximizing the potential for living cell banks to contribute to global conservation priorities // Zoo Biology. – 2023. – Vol. 42, № 6. – P. 697–708. – PMID: 37283210. – DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21787

Ryder O.A., Onuma M. Viable cell culture banking for biodiversity characterization and conservation // Annual Review of Animal Biosciences. – 2018. – Vol. 6. – P. 83–98. – PMID: 29447472. – DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-030117-014556

Lanza R.P., Cibelli J.B., Diaz F. et al. Cloning of an endangered species (Bos gaurus) using interspecies nuclear transfer // Cloning. – 2000. – Vol. 2, № 2. – P. 79–90. – PMID: 16218862. – DOI: 10.1089/152045500436104

Loi P., Ptak G., Barboni B. et al. Genetic rescue of an endangered mammal by cross-species nuclear transfer using post-mortem somatic cells // Nature Biotechnology. – 2001. – Vol. 19, № 10. – P. 962–964. – PMID: 11581663. – DOI: 10.1038/nbt1001-962

Folch J., Cocero M.J., Chesné P. et al. First birth of an animal from an extinct subspecies (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica) by cloning // Theriogenology. – 2009. – Vol. 71, № 6. – P. 1026–1034. – PMID: 19167744. – DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.11.005

Novak B.J., Ryder O.A., Houck M.L. et al. Endangered Przewalski’s horse, Equus przewalskii, cloned from historically cryopreserved cells // Animals. – 2025. – Vol. 15, № 5. – Article 613. – PMID: 40075896. – DOI: 10.3390/ani15050613

Mazur P. Freezing of living cells: mechanisms and implications // American Journal of Physiology. – 1984. – Vol. 247, № 3, Pt 1. – P. C125–C142. – PMID: 6383068. – DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.1984.247.3.C125

Rall W.F., Fahy G.M. Ice-free cryopreservation of mouse embryos at −196 °C by vitrification // Nature. – 1985. – Vol. 313, № 6003. – P. 573–575. – PMID: 3969158. – DOI: 10.1038/313573a0

Fahy G.M., Wowk B. Principles of cryopreservation by vitrification // Methods in Molecular Biology. – 2015. – Vol. 1257. – P. 21–82. – PMID: 25428002. – DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2193-5_2

Best B.P. Cryoprotectant toxicity: facts, issues, and questions // Rejuvenation Research. – 2015. – Vol. 18, № 5. – P. 422–436. – PMID: 25826677. – DOI: 10.1089/rej.2014.1656

Fahy G.M., Wowk B., Wu J., Paynter S. Improved vitrification solutions based on the predictability of vitrification solution toxicity // Cryobiology. – 2004. – Vol. 48, № 1. – P. 22–35. – PMID: 14969679. – DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2003.11.004

Ahmadkhani N., Sugden C., Benson J.D. et al. High-throughput evaluation of cryoprotective agents for mixture effects that reduce toxicity // Cryobiology. – 2025. – Vol. 121. – Article 105316. – PMID: 40961865. – DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2025.105316

Szurek E.A., Eroglu A. Comparison and avoidance of toxicity of penetrating cryoprotectants // PLoS ONE. – 2011. – Vol. 6, № 11. – Article e27604. – PMID: 22110685. – DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027604

Yavin S., Aroyo A., Roth Z., Arav A. Embryo cryopreservation in the presence of low concentration of vitrification solution with sealed pulled straws in liquid nitrogen slush // Human Reproduction. – 2009. – Vol. 24, № 4. – P. 797–804. – PMID: 19141483. – DOI: 10.1093/humrep/den397

Seki S., Mazur P. Ultra-rapid warming yields high survival of mouse oocytes cooled to −196 °C in dilutions of a standard vitrification solution // PLoS ONE. – 2012. – Vol. 7, № 4. – Article e36058. – PMID: 22558325. – DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036058

Borges A.A., Lima G.L., Queiroz Neta L.B. et al. Conservation of somatic tissue derived from collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu Linnaeus, 1758) using direct or solid-surface vitrification techniques // Cytotechnology. – 2017. – Vol. 69, № 4. – P. 643–654. – PMID: 28260212. – DOI: 10.1007/s10616-017-0074-7

Rodrigues L.L.V., Moura Y.B.F., Viana J.V.S. et al. Comparison between concentration and type of intracellular cryoprotectants and the presence of sucrose for cryobanks of somatic cells derived from captive pumas // Zoo Biology. – 2023. – Vol. 42, № 3. – P. 440–448. – PMID: 36515220. – DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21748

Strober W. Trypan blue exclusion test of cell viability // Current Protocols in Immunology. – 2015. – Vol. 111. – P. A3.B.1–A3.B.3. – PMID: 26529666. – DOI: 10.1002/0471142735.ima03bs111

Cao J., Fan S., Wang J. et al. Evaluating the effects of cryopreservation on the viability and gene expression of porcine-ear-skin fibroblasts // Genes. – 2023. – Vol. 14, № 3. – Article 751. – PMID: 36981023. – DOI: 10.3390/genes14030751

Praxedes É.A., Silva M.B., Oliveira L.R.M. et al. Establishment, characterization, and cryopreservation of cell lines derived from red-rumped agouti (Dasyprocta leporina Linnaeus, 1758) – a study in a wild rodent // Cryobiology. – 2021. – Vol. 98. – P. 63–72. – PMID: 33359644. – DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2020.12.006

Ashrafi E., Sauvageau D., Elliott J.A.W. Effects of different cryopreservation parameters on the differences between trypan blue and fluorescent SYTO 13/GelRed assays // Cryobiology. – 2024. – Vol. 116. – Article 104883. – PMID: 38452848. – DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2024.104883