Dimethyl sulfoxide as an anticalcification agent for glutaraldehyde-fixed biological tissue

Abstract

Dimethylsulfoxide has been found to mitigate the calcification of glutaraldehyde-fixed biological tissue in the rat subdermal model. This effect is achieved with neat dimethylsulfoxide either prior to or after glutaraldehyde fixation of the biological tissue. The calcium levels for the 21 days post-implant for both methods are over 20 times less than the controls. However, fixation of the tissue with glutaraldehyde before dimethylsulfoxide treatment appears to better control calcification over the longer term. Histological examination of samples after exposure before or after implantation show no deleterious effects to the tissue due to dimethylsulfoxide.