Abstract
With the increasing incidence of liver disease and the shortage of donors, there is an ever-increasing need for an alternative to replace and repair damaged tissue. To address this problem, various biomaterials have been synthesized or isolated to provide a biocompatible and biomimetic scaffold. Decellularized native extracellular matrix (dECM) appeared to be a promising solution for regenerative purposes because it retains the naturally occurring components and structure important for cell survival and differentiation. Since any method of decellularization can damage extracellular matrix (ECM) components, it was important to develop a method that effectively removed the cells but also preserved the ECM components. To properly decellularize liver tissue, two different detergents were used, among other methods. Previous research has shown that sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) can remove cells and DNA components, but can also destroy collagen and glycosaminoglycans. Therefore, a milder detergent, sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), was used in addition to SLS. The aim of this study was to compare the decellularization performed with SLS and SLES detergents. Stereo and light microscopy showed that the natural architecture of the tissue was partially preserved depending on the detergent used and the exposure time. In addition, the number of protocol steps was compared so that the complexity of each protocol could be determined. After decellularization, pepsin digestion was performed. Gelation kinetics of obtained hydrogels demonstrated gelation within 60 minutes for all samples.
