Histological and ultrastructural characterisation as minimal criteria for assessing the success of the decellularisation protocols for tissue engineering applications

There is a great demand of suitable biomaterials for tissue engineering applications in regenerative medicine. Decellularized extracellular matrix scaffolds derived from different organs and tissues have been successfully applied for human use as therapeutic agents in many tissue defects. The aim of the present study was to establish histological and ultrastructural characterisation as minimal criteria for assessing the suitability of decellularised bioscaffolds in tissue engineering applications. The study was performed on bovine omentum processed by a natural bovine bile based decellularisation protocol. Histological analysis and scanning electron microscopy examinations were performed and compared with an established decellularised bovine pericardial scaffold. Gross examination revealed that the decellularisation process did not alter the shape of the omentum. Histological examination confirmed the preservation of the collagenous fibres without any observable cell nuclei following decellularisation. Further, scanning electron microscopy examination demonstrated the arrangement and ultrastructure of collagen fibrils in the bioscaffolds. Our results suggest that histological and ultrastructural characterisation provide preliminary data on determining the biocompatibility of scaffolds before planning in vivo studies in tissue engineering applications.