Tensile strength of ostrich carotid artery decellularized with liquefied dimethyl ether and DNase: An effort in addressing religious and cultural concerns

In a previous report, we proposed a method for decellularizing ostrich carotid arteries by removing lipids from the arteries using liquefied dimethyl ether (DME) instead of the conventional sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). This is followed by DNA fragmentation with DNase. In the present study, the physical properties of ostrich carotid arteries decellularized using the DME method were evaluated via tensile tests. Results showed that the tissue with SDS broke under less than half the stress of the original ostrich carotid artery. In contrast, the tissue treated with liquefied DME withstood the same level of the original tissue. Both decellularized tissues by liquefied DME showed flexibility comparable to that of the original tissue. We attributed this to the no C[dbnd]N bonds temporarily generated by dehydration through the Schiff-base reaction when lipids were removed by liquefied DME.