Inverted orientation improves decellularization of whole porcine hearts.

Abstract

The use of decellularized tissue as a suitable scaffold for engineered tissue has emerged over the past decade as one of the most promising biofabrication platforms. The decellularization process removes all native cells, leaving the natural biopolymers, extracellular matrix materials and native architecture intact. This manuscript describes heart orientation as important in optimizing decellularization efficiency and maintaining extracellular matrix integrity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess flow dynamics in a whole heart throughout the decellularization procedure. Our findings compared to currently published methods demonstrate that continuous complex real-time measurements and analyses are required to produce an optimal scaffold for cardiac regeneration.