In vitro evaluation of bovine pericardium after a soft decellularization approach for use in tissue engineering

Pericardial membrane derived from bovine heart tissues is a promising source of material for use in tissue-engineering applications. However, tissue processing is required for its use in humans due to the presence of animal antigens. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the structural integrity and biocompatibility of the bovine pericardium (BP) after a soft decellularization process with a 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution, with the aim to remove xenoantigens and preserve extracellular matrix (ECM) bioactivity. The decellularization process promoted a mean reduction of 77% of the amount of DNA in the samples in which cell nuclei staining was undetectable. The ECM content was maintained as mostly preserved after decellularization as well as its biomechanical properties. In addition, the decellularization protocol has proven to be efficient in removing the xenoantigen alpha-gal, which is responsible for immune rejection. The decellularized BP was noncytotoxic in vitro and allowed human adipose-derived stem cell (hASC) adhesion. Finally, after 7 days in culture, the tissue scaffold became repopulated by hASCs, and after 30 days, the ECM protein pro-collagen I was seen in the scaffold. Together, these characteristics indicated that soft BP decellularization with 0.1% SDS solution allows the acquirement of a bioactive scaffold suitable for cell repopulation and potentially useful for regenerative medicine.