Automated freeze-thaw cycles for decellularization of tendon tissue - a pilot study.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Decellularization of tendon tissue plays a pivotal role in current tissue engineering approaches for in vitro research as well as for translation of graft-based tendon restoration into clinics. Automation of essential decellularization steps like freeze-thawing is crucial for the development of more standardized decellularization protocols and commercial graft production under good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions in the future. In this study, a liquid nitrogen-based controlled rate freezer was utilized for automation of repeated freeze-thawing for decellularization of equine superficial digital flexor tendons. Additional tendon specimens underwent manually performed freeze-thaw cycles based on an established procedure. Tendon decellularization was completed by using non-ionic detergent treatment (Triton X-100). Effectiveness of decellularization was assessed by residual nuclei count and calculation of DNA content. Cytocompatibility was evaluated by culturing allogeneic adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells on the tendon scaffolds. There were no significant differences in decellularization effectiveness between samples decellularized by the automated freeze-thaw procedure and samples that underwent manual freeze-thaw cycles. Further, we inferred no significant differences in the effectiveness of decellularization between two different cooling and heating rates

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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