Little mechanical data is available on human arteries because of the difficulty of testing artery samples often obtained from autopsy, while arteries are still considered “fresh”. Various solutions mimicking the physiological environment have been used to preserve artery samples from harvesting to testing. Cryopreservation might provide a means to preserve the mechanical properties of arteries for days or weeks after harvesting. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of several preservation methods, including simplified cryopreservation methods, on the passive mechanical properties of arteries. Eighteen fresh cruciform samples were mechanically tested. Samples were divided in three groups based on preservation medium and freezing method: isotonic saline solution, Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and dipped in liquid nitrogen. In each group, half of the samples were stored at -20℃ and the other half at -80℃. Two months later, all the tissues were thawed at 4℃ and mechanical tests were repeated. Preservation of arteries for two months in Krebs solution with DMSO (at -20℃ or at -80℃) or in isotonic saline solution at -20℃ were the methods that least changed the mechanical properties of the arteries.
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