An increasing number of publications report on the efficacy of trehalose in preserving organisms, cells, and macromolecules from adverse environmental conditions such as extreme temperatures and dryness. Although the mechanism by which this disaccharide exerts its protection is still debated, the implementation of trehalose as stabilizer is becoming a praxis in several preparative protocols from the pharmaceutical industry. We tested the ability of trehalose in protecting R-Phycoerythrin (R-PE), a pigment-protein complex widely used as fluorescent marker, from thermal denaturation. Once embedded into a dried trehalose matrix, R-PE retains its optical absorption-emission characteristics even when exposed to 70°C for h or when subjected to freeze-drying. We subsequently examined the protection exerted by trehalose on freeze-dried antihuman CD8-RPE (CD8-RPE) conjugated antibodies. Flow cytometric analysis showed that colyophilized trehalose-CD8-RPE preparations can be exposed for 4 weeks at 45°C without significant loss of functionality. Remarkably, even following 4 weeks incubation at 70°C, the preparations are still able to specifically recognize CD8(+) lymphocyte populations. These results show that colyophilization with trehalose makes possible the preparation of antibody-based diagnostic kits which can withstand breaks in the "cold chain" distribution, particularly suited for use in less-developed countries of the tropical areas.
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