Recellularization of decellularized human adipose-tissue-derived extracellular matrix sheets with other human cell types

Decellularized human extracellular matrices (ECMs) are an extremely appealing biomaterial for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this study, we decellularized human adipose tissue, fabricated a thin ECM sheet and explored the potential of this human adipose-derived ECM sheet as a substrate to support the formation of tissues other than adipose tissue. Acellular ECM sheets were fabricated from human adipose tissue through successive physical and chemical treatments: homogenization, centrifugation, casting, freeze-drying and sodium dodecyl sulfate treatment. The ECM sheets exhibited good mechanical properties, despite their porous structure. They degraded quickly in the presence of collagenase and the degradation rate increased with the collagenase concentration in phosphate-buffered saline. Five different human cell types, covering a broad range of cells and applications (normal human dermal fibroblasts, human aortic smooth muscle cells, human chondrocytes, human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human adipose-derived stem cells), were seeded onto the ECM sheets. All the human cell types spread well, proliferated and were successfully integrated into the decellularized ECM sheet. Overall, the results suggest that recellularized ECM sheets are a promising substitute for defective or damaged human tissues.