Biomechanical and angiogenic properties of tissue-engineered rabbit trachea using genipin cross-linked decellularized tissue

Abstract

Objective To investigate the preparation of the decellularized tracheal scaffold in rabbit,and investigate the impact of biomechanical and angiogenic properties of tissue-engineered rabbit trachea using genipin cross-linked decellularized tissue.Methods New Zealand rabbits tracheae were decellularized using a modified detergent-enzymatic treatment.Glycosaminoglycan content,histoarchitecture,and mechanical properties were evaluated.Then evaluate mechanical properties and in vivo pro-angiogenic properties of genipin-treated tracheal matrices.Results After 7 detergent-enzymatic cycles,almost complete decellularized tracheae,retaining the hierarchical and mechanical properties of the native tissues,could be obtained.DNA concentration in the tissue was substantially decreased 92.78％ from (586.78 ± 53.56) ng/mg in native trachea to (42.39-±6.66) ng/mg after 7 cycles of decellularization (P ＜0.01).A significant (P ＜ 0.05) increase of the secant modulus for the cross-linked tracheae,compared to native and decellularized samples,was computed,especially in the case of samples treated with 1％ geninin.In particular,the increase induced by tracheal matrices treated with genipin 1％ resulted significantly different from the one induced by all the other samples.Conclusion In conclusion,this work suggests that 7 cycles of the modified detergent-enzymatic method (DEM) generates a bioengineered rabbit tracheal matrix that is structurally and mechanically similar to native trachea.The treatment with genipin increased mechanical properties,in term of secant modulus,without neither altering the pro-angiogenic properties of decellularized airway matrices or eliciting an in vivo inflammatory response. Key words: Tissue engineering; Decellularization; Angiogenesis ; Mechanical properties; Genipin