Investigation of Hemocompatibility and Cytotoxicity of Decellularized Caprine pericardium for Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

The pericardium from xenogeneic source is a widely used biomaterial for tissue engineering applications. This study focuses on the hemocompatibility and in-vitro cytotoxicity of the decellularized caprine pericardium. The caprine pericardium was decellularized by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Triton X-100. Hemolysis and plasma clotting assay was performed to understand the interaction of decellularized pericardium and whole blood. In-vitro cytotoxicity assay was performed with MG-63 cells to determine the wash-out residues present in the acellular matrix after the decellularization steps. Isolated platelet-poor plasma was incubated with an acellular matrix, and then CaCl2 was added to initiate the plasma recalcification. The treatment with the combination of SDS and Triton X- 100 resulted in an intact decellularized matrix and the absence of cell nuclei was confirmed through histological examination. The hemolysis rate of a decellularized matrix is found to be 2.1% and the matrix met the clinically acceptable implantation limit. The plasma recalcification time of the decellularized matrix is 244 seconds. Incorporating the washing steps in the decellularization process reduces the cytotoxic effect significantly.