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On the Decellularization of Fresh or Frozen Human Umbilical Arteries: Implications for Small-Diameter Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts

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Abstract

Most tissues, including those to be decellularized for tissue engineering applications, are frozen for long term preservation. Such conventional cryopreservation has been shown to alter the structure and mechanical properties of tissues. Little is known, however, how freezing affects decellularization of tissues. The purpose of this study was two-fold: to examine the effects of freezing on decellularization of human umbilical arteries (HUAs), which represent a potential scaffolding material for small-diameter tissue-engineered vascular grafts, and to examine how decellularization affects the mechanical properties of frozen HUAs. Among many decellularization methods, hypotonic sodium dodecyl sulfate solution was selected as the decellularizing agent and tested on fresh HUAs to optimize decellularization conditions. The efficiency of decellularization was evaluated by DNA assay and histology every 12 up to 48 h. The optimized decellularization protocol was then performed on frozen HUAs. The stiffness, burst pressure, and suture retention strength of fresh HUAs and frozen HUAs before and after decellularization were also examined. It appeared that freezing decreased the efficiency of decellularization, which may be attributed to the condensed extracellular matrix caused by freezing. While the stiffness of fresh HUAs did not change significantly after decellularization, decellularization reduced the compliance of frozen HUAs. Interestingly, the stiffness of decellularized frozen HUAs was similar to that of decellularized fresh HUAs. Although little difference in stiffness was observed, we suggest avoiding freezing if more efficient and complete decellularization is desired.

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Acknowledgment

This research was supported by grants from the National Science Council (NSC-100-2221-E-006-097) and the National Health Research Institute (NHRI-EX102-10217EC) in Taiwan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, #1 University Rd., Tainan, 701, Taiwan

    Ho-Yi Tuan-Mu & Jin-Jia Hu

  2. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, National Cheng Kung University Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan

    Chen-Hsiang Yu

  3. Medical Device Innovation Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Jin-Jia Hu

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Correspondence to Jin-Jia Hu.

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Associate Editor Dan Elson oversaw the review of this article.

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Tuan-Mu, HY., Yu, CH. & Hu, JJ. On the Decellularization of Fresh or Frozen Human Umbilical Arteries: Implications for Small-Diameter Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts. Ann Biomed Eng 42, 1305–1318 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-014-1000-1

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