Fabrication of uterine decellularized matrix using high hydrostatic pressure through depolymerization of actin filaments

Recently, many groups in the field of tissue engineering have attempted to utilize decellularized matrices for tissue regeneration. The decellularized matrices are known as a suitable tissue-engineered scaffold that retains the original structure of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the native tissue as well as its complex vasculature. While chemical reagents such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) are generally selected to fabricate the decellularized matrices due to its ease of use, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) has become a powerful alternative to induce the decellularization without using any chemical reagents which have a possibility to provoke inflammatory response by the residual chemicals after in vivo transplantation. Although the HHP has been regarded as a promising tool to decellularize the native tissue, its fabrication mechanism remains still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the fabrication mechanism using HHP of 980 MPa to decellularize uterine tissues harvested from Sprague Dawley rats. As a result of histochemical analysis, we first reported that actin filaments in the uterine tissue were depolymerized by applying HHP. Our present findings will lead to the optimization of fabrication method using hydrostatic pressure to have an optimal decellularize matrix with complete micro- and macro-structures of the native tissue for tissue regeneration.