THE EFFECT OF AMPHOTERICIN-B ON THE VIABILITY OF CRYOPRESERVED HUMAN SKIN

To evaluate whether amphotericin B has a detrimental effect on the viability of cryopreserved skin, human skin samples were incubated during 7 and 24 h in three different media: 0.9% phosphate-buffered saline and Medium 199 with and without 10 mu g/ml amphotericin B. The viability of the tissue was assessed by measuring the tetrazolium reductase activity before and after cryopreservation. A significant decrease in cryopreserved human skin viability was observed after 7 and 24 h incubation with amphotericin B. These results indicate that in the processing of skin preservation, the beneficial effect of using amphotericin B as an antifungal agent may be reduced by its negative effect on tissue viability. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.