Human Decellularized Dermis as Novel Scaffold for Cardiac Regenerative Medicine: Structure and Mechanical Behaviour

In the last decade, the potential of decellularized tissues as biological scaffolds for regenerative medicine applications has been deeply investigated. For myocardial regeneration, human decellularized dermis (HDD) was recently proposed as an innovative and easy accessible alternative to the native matrix. In this study, HDD was characterized at both structural and mechanical level. Histological and quantitative analyses provided evidence of effective decellularization, preserved tissue architecture and elastin retention. Uniaxial tensile tests confirmed, in terms of both anisotropy and stiffness, the mechanical suitability of HDD as scaffold for myocardial regeneration.