Cryopreservation of red blood cells (RBCs) plays an indispensable role in modern clinical transfusion therapy. Researchers are dedicated to finding cryoprotectants (CPAs) with high efficiency and low toxicity to prevent RBCs from cryopreservation injury. This study presents, for the first time, the feasibility and underlying mechanisms of a novel CPA called tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane-3-propanesulfonic acid (TAPS) in RBCs cryopreservation. The results demonstrated that the addition of TAPS achieved a post-thaw recovery of RBCs at 79.12 ± 0.67%, accompanied by excellent biocompatibility (above 97%). Subsequently, the mechanism for preventing RBCs from cryopreservation injury was elucidated. On one hand, TAPS exhibits a significant amount of bound water and effectively inhibits ice recrystallization, thereby reducing mechanical damage. On the other hand, TAPS demonstrates high capacity to scavenge reactive oxygen species and strong endogenous antioxidant enzyme activity, providing effective protection against oxidative damage. Above all, TAPS can be readily removed through direct washing, and the RBCs after washing showed no significant differences in various physiological parameters (SEM, RBC hemolysis, ESR, ATPase activity, and Hb content) compared to fresh RBCs. Finally, the presented mathematical modeling analysis indicates the good benefits of TAPS. In summary, TAPS holds potential for both research and practical in the field of cryobiology, offering innovative insights for the improvement of RBCs cryopreservation in transfusion medicine.
Keywords: TAPS; cryobiology; cryopreservation; red blood cells; transfusion therapy.