Sterilization of Lung Matrices by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
Publication: Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods
Volume 22, Issue Number 3
Abstract
Lung engineering is a potential alternative to transplantation for patients with end-stage pulmonary failure. Two challenges critical to the successful development of an engineered lung developed from a decellularized scaffold include (i) the suppression of resident infectious bioburden in the lung matrix, and (ii) the ability to sterilize decellularized tissues while preserving the essential biological and mechanical features intact. To date, the majority of lungs are sterilized using high concentrations of peracetic acid (PAA) resulting in extracellular matrix (ECM) depletion. These mechanically altered tissues have little to no storage potential. In this study, we report a sterilizing technique using supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO2) that can achieve a sterility assurance level 10−6 in decellularized lung matrix. The effects of ScCO2 treatment on the histological, mechanical, and biochemical properties of the sterile decellularized lung were evaluated and compared with those of freshly decellularized lung matrix and with PAA-treated acellular lung. Exposure of the decellularized tissue to ScCO2 did not significantly alter tissue architecture, ECM content or organization (glycosaminoglycans, elastin, collagen, and laminin), observations of cell engraftment, or mechanical integrity of the tissue. Furthermore, these attributes of lung matrix did not change after 6 months in sterile buffer following sterilization with ScCO2, indicating that ScCO2 produces a matrix that is stable during storage. The current study's results indicate that ScCO2 can be used to sterilize acellular lung tissue while simultaneously preserving key biological components required for the function of the scaffold for regenerative medicine purposes.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In

Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods
Volume 22 • Issue Number 3 • March 2016
Pages: 260 - 269
PubMed: 26697757
Copyright
Copyright 2016, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
History
Published in print: March 2016
Published ahead of print: 29 January 2016
Published online: 27 January 2016
Published ahead of production: 24 December 2015
Accepted: 11 December 2015
Received: 2 October 2015
Authors
Disclosure Statement
L.E.N. has a financial interest in Humacyte, Inc., a regenerative medicine company. Humacyte did not fund these studies, and Humacyte did not affect the design, interpretation, or reporting of any of the experiments herein. J.H. was formerly employed by and K.M.S.B. is currently employed by Novasterilis, Inc. (K.M.S.B. and J.H.). Novasterilis did not fund these studies, and Novasterilis did not affect the design, interpretation, or reporting of any of the experiments herein. No competing financial interests exist for any of the other authors (J.L.B., A.L, A.L.G., J.S., L.Z., T.J.B., R.P.M., and E.C.W.)
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