Design of a decellularized fish skin as a biological scaffold for skin tissue regeneration

The use of decellularized natural skin as an extracellular matrix (ECM) may be a great candidate to regenerate damaged tissues. In this study, decellularized scaffolds from fish skin were designed by different techniques (physical, chemical, and enzymatic methods) and investigated by analyses such as Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Tensile strength, Degradability, Histological studies, Toxicity test, and Determination of DNA content. Results showed that the best sample is related to the decellularized skin by hypertonic & hypotonic technique and Triton X100 solutions. Structural and mechanical results were demonstrated that samples have similar properties to human skin to regenerate it. The cytotoxicity results showed that decellularized skin by hypertonic & hypotonic method and Triton solution is non-toxic with minimal amount of genetic materials. Cellular results with epithelial cells indicated good adhesion on decellularized matrix, so it can be a suitable candidate for skin tissue regeneration.