Effect of decellularization on the load-bearing characteristics of articular cartilage matrix

The application of decellularized extracellular matrices to aid tissue regeneration in reconstructive surgery and regenerative medicine has been promising. Several decellularization protocols for removing cellular materials from natural tissues such as heart valves are currently in use. This paper evaluates the feasibility of potential extension of this methodology relative to the desirable properties of load bearing joint tissues such as stiffness, porosity and ability to recover adequately after deformation to facilitate physiological function. Two decellularization protocols, namely: Trypsin and Triton X-100 were evaluated against their effects on bovine articular cartilage, using biomechanical, biochemical and microstructural techniques. These analyses revealed that decellularization with trypsin resulted in severe loss of mechanical stiffness including deleterious collapse of the collagen architecture which in turn significantly compromised the porosity of the construct. In contrast, triton X-100 detergent treatment yielded samples that retain mechanical stiffness relative to that of the normal intact cartilage sample, but the resulting construct contained ruminant cellular constituents. We conclude that both of these common decellularization protocols are inadequate for producing constructs that can serve as effective replacement and scaffolds to regenerate articular joint tissue.