Preservation of
vaccines, viruses and other
biologicals is one of the onerous tasks in maintaining the quality of the products from manufacture until they reach the end users. Live-attenuated
viral vaccines, serum
immunoglobulins, plasma fractions and clinical samples, including tissues and body fluids, are all materials that usually require cold-chain maintenance during storage and distribution. A number of stabilizers are currently used to help retain the quality of these materials, in particular
vaccines, during transit.
Deuterium oxide (
heavy water; D(2)O) has previously been reported to have a protective effect on biomolecules (
proteins and
nucleic acids), cells and simple multicellular organisms against thermal
shock. Of late, the potential of D(2)O has been demonstrated in stabilization of the oral
polio and
yellow fever 17D
vaccines. This review is the outcome of a thorough search and scan of the literature in a quest to explore the potential use of
heavy water in the stabilization of veterinary
biologicals. The literature search revealed this potential of
heavy water as exemplified by successful stabilization of oral
polio and
yellow fever vaccines. Through this review, the authors wish to inform animal health researchers and disseminate their knowledge on the use of
heavy water in biomolecule stabilization and its potential application in the stabilization of veterinary
vaccines and other
biologicals.