Using Decellularization/Recellularization Processes to Prepare Liver and Cardiac Engineered Tissues

Tissue engineering provides unique opportunities for disease modeling, drug testing, and regenerative medicine applications. The use of cell-seeded scaffolds to promote tissue development is the hallmark of the tissue engineering. Among the different types of scaffolds (derived from either natural or synthetic polymers) used in the field, the use of decellularized tissues/organs is specifically attractive. The decellularization process involves the removal of native cells from the original tissue, allowing for the preservation of the three-dimensional (3D) macroscopic and microscopic structures of the tissue and extracellular matrix (ECM) composition. Following recellularization, the resulting scaffold provides the seeded cells with the appropriate biological signals and mechanical properties of the original tissue. Here, we describe different methods to create viable scaffolds from decellularized heart and liver as useful tools to study and exploit ECM biological key factors for the generation of engineered tissues with enhanced regenerative properties.