Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2025
Decellularization of Whole Human Heart Inside a Pressurized Pouch in an Inverted Orientation
Published on: November 26, 2018
Development and evaluation of a novel combined perfusion decellularization heart-lung model for tissue engineering of
Alina Zubarevich1, Anja Osswald1, Lukman Amanov1
1Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, West German Heart and Vascular Center, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Background:
Bioengineered transplantable heart-lung scaffolds could be potentially lifesaving in a large number of congenital and acquired cardiothoracic disorders including terminal heart-lung disease.
Methods:
We decellularized heart-lung organ-blocks from rats (n = 10) by coronary and tracheal perfusion with ionic detergents in a modified Langendorff circuit.
Results:
In the present project, we were able to achieve complete decellularization of the heart-lung organ-block. Decellularized heart-lung organ-blocks lacked intracellular components but maintained structure of the cellular walls with collagen and elastic fibers.
Conclusions:
We present a novel model of combined perfusion and decellularization of heart-lung organ-blocks. This model is the first step on the pathway to creating bioengineered transplantable heart-lung scaffolds. We believe that further development of this technology could provide a life-saving conduit, significantly reducing the risks of heart-lung failure surgery and improving postoperative quality of life.
