Is there a Common Mechanism of Protection of Living Cells by Polyvinylpyrrolidone and Glycerol during Freezing

IN 1953 Lovelock showed that the damage caused to human red blood cells by freezing and thawing could be correlated with the high concentrations of sodium chloride produced in the liquid phase as ice forms1. Subsequent work showed that the actions of glycerol in protecting cells against damage during freezing2 were probably associated with “buffering” the concentrations of salt, for haemolysis first takes place during freezing at a temperature at which a mole fraction of sodium chloride of 0.014 is reached whatever the concentration of glycerol3.