A biophysical analysis of a streamlined production of pancreatic scaffolds

Abstract Tissue engineering studies using decellularized matrix scaffolds are widely relevant for regeneration or replacement of end-stage failure organs. Decellularized matrices retain ingrained biofactors, vascularization tree, and interconnected microenvironments of the original tissue, presenting a high potential for human pancreatic bioengineering. This study investigated if decellularized porcine pancreases acquired as the meat industry’s byproducts meet the structural requirements for bioscaffolds production. We achieved an acellular environment with preserved ultrastructure and vascular network verified by histology and SEM assays, while ATR-FTIR confirmed the collagen matrix functional groups retention. A micro X-ray tomography (µCT) detected that 19% of the scaffold’s pore size was within the adequate range for islets of Langerhans anchorage and development and that 62.7% of total pores comprised of open porosity, a fundamental parameter for cellular nutrition and permeability in the posterior recellularization stage. A time-dependent biomechanical uniaxial tensile test analyzed the scaffold’s elastic and viscoelastic responses and indicated it within the preferable stiffness of mesenchymal stem cell niches in vivo.