The Mechanical Influence of Tissue Engineering Techniques on Tracheal Strength: An Experimental Study on Sheep Trachea

Tissue engineering is an attractive concept for facilitating the transplantation of different tissue types with a low immunogeneity and a well-preserved tissue structure. We examined the influence of treatment with trypsin/ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) on the mechanical properties of tracheae. Fresh sheep tracheae were stored in a trypsin/EDTA solution for various periods of time (24, 46, and 72 h) and their breaking strength was subsequently examined. The results were compared with native trachea. The treatment with trypsin/EDTA results in a considerable reduction of the mechanical stability under load, in this case compared with the tensile strength, that does not correlate with the results obtained from light-optical microscopy. The results from this study reveal that tissue preparation with trypsin/EDTA does not seem to be a suitable method of preparatory treatment of tracheae intended for transplantation.