Preparation and Use of Decellularized Extracellular Matrix for Tissue Engineering

Abstract

The multidisciplinary fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have the potential to revolutionize the practise of medicine through the abilities to repair, regenerate, or replace tissues and organs with functional engineered constructs. To this end, tissue engineering combines scaffolding materials with cells and biologically active molecules into constructs with the appropriate structures and properties for tissue/organ regeneration, where scaffolding materials and biomolecules are the keys to mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM). For this, one emerging way is to decellularize the native ECM into the materials suitable for, directly or in combination with other materials, creating functional constructs. Over the past decade, decellularized ECM (or dECM) has greatly facilitated the advance of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, while being challenged in many ways. This article reviews the recent development of dECM for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, with a focus on the preparation of dECM along with its influence on cell culture, the modification of dECM for use as a scaffolding material, and the novel techniques and emerging trends in processing dECM into functional constructs. We highlight the success of dECM and constructs in the in vitro, in vivo, and clinical applications and further identify the key issues and challenges involved, along with a discussion of future research directions.

Decellularized periosteum promotes guided bone regeneration via manipulation of macrophage polarization

“…The ideal decellularization procedure should minimize disruption of the ultrastructure and composition of ECM, which is composed of macromolecular fibers, of which type I collagen is one of the most vital structural proteins [16,26]. Our SEM analysis indicated that the prepared DP retained an irregular fibrous surface architecture similar to the NP architecture, and the collagen integrity remained intact.…”

“…The goal of tissue decellularization is to remove as much immunogenic cellular components as possible while preserving the original ultrastructure and composition of the tissue ECM [14,16,24]. A variety of techniques can be used to decellularize tissue, including physical agents, chemical agents, and enzymes.…”

“…It has been shown that the decellularization process efficiently removes antigenic cellular components while retaining the natural 3D ultrastructure complete with the native ECM composition. Studies have demonstrated the feasibility of preparing decellularized tissue ECM scaffolds and applied them in the repair of multiple types of tissues and organs with varying degrees of success [14][15][16]. Although tissue-derived ECM scaffolds are generally used for the repair of non-homologous anatomic sites, site-specific homologous tissue scaffolds have been shown to be more effective than nonsite-specific tissue scaffolds in remodeling constructive tissue.…”

From waste to wealth: Repurposing slaughterhouse waste for xenotransplantation

“…In addition to RNA and DNA fragments, residual proteins within the scaffold can induce similar dangers, especially with respect to the xenogeneic decellularized ECM. These individual components of the scaffold can elicit a specific cytokine response by host cells after implantation (McInnes et al, 2022).…”

Research progress in decellularized extracellular matrix hydrogels for intervertebral disc degeneration

“…Combining soluble dECM with other polymers to form heterogeneous hydrogels with adjustable degradation rates is an important area of research for future dECM usage. 150,182,183 The mechanism of action of dECM in the treatment of IDD is still unclear and may be related to stem cell recruitment, biomechanics and biochemical signalling of dECM, 182 and a better understanding of the role of the ECM ecological microenvironment in IVD repair will help to advance research in IDD prevention and treatment. Injection of hydrogels into the IVD requires acupuncture for AF, which may aggravate IDD.…”