Blended electrospinning with human liver extracellular matrix for engineering new hepatic microenvironments.

ABSTRACT: Tissue engineering of a transplantable liver could provide an alternative to donor livers for transplant, solving the problem of escalating donor shortages. One of the challenges for tissue engineers is the extracellular matrix (ECM); a finely controlled in vivo niche which supports hepatocytes. Polymers and decellularized tissue scaffolds each provide some of the necessary biological cues for hepatocytes, however, neither alone has proved sufficient. Enhancing microenvironments using bioactive molecules allows researchers to create more appropriate niches for hepatocytes. We combined decellularized human liver tissue with electrospun polymers to produce a niche for hepatocytes and compared the human liver ECM to its individual components; Collagen I, Laminin-521 and Fibronectin. The resul

SUBMITTER: Grant R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6472345 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature