The Research of Acellular pancreatic bioscaffoldas a natural 3D platform In Vitro

AIM: To investigate the biochemical and functional properties of a rat acellular pancreatic bioscaffold (APB). METHODS: Fresh pancreata were soaked and perfused. The histological structure, the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition, and the DNA content of the APBs were evaluated. After biocompatibility studies, the proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of AR42J pancreatic acinar cells cultured on APBs were assessed. RESULTS: The pancreatic tissues became translucent after decellularization. The native macroscopic 3D architecture and the ECM ultrastructure were preserved, with large ductal structures and vascular tissue branching from the greater pancreatic artery, but there were no visible vascular endothelial cells, cellular components or cracked cellular debris. The ECM components, including collagen I, collagen IV, fibronectin, laminin and sGAG, were not decreased after decellularization of the APB (P>0.05); however, the DNA content was decreased significantly (P<0.05). The subcutaneous implantation sites showed low immunological response and low cytotoxicity around the APB. The proliferation rate was higher and the apoptosis rate was lower when AR42J cells were cultured on APB than when they were cultured in media alone, on artificial scaffold or ECM (P<0.05). The gene expression of pancreatic duodenal homeodomain containing transcription factor (PDX-1) and pancreatic exocrine transcription factor (PTF-1) and the protein expression of alpha-Amy, cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and fetal liver kinase-1 (Flk-1) were higher for the APB group than for the other groups (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings support the biological utility of whole pancreas APBs as biomaterial scaffolds, which provides an improved approach for regenerative medicine.