Effect of treatment temperature on collagen structures of the decellularized carotid artery using high hydrostatic pressure.

Decellularized tissues have attracted a great deal of attention as regenerating transplantation materials. A decellularizing method based on high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) has been developed, and the preparation of many types of decellularized tissues has been investigated, including aorta, cornea, and dermis. The preparation of a small-diameter vascular graft was studied using a carotid artery from the viewpoint of collagen denaturation and leakage. After HHP, the carotid artery was washed at two washing temperatures (37 and 4°C). Histological evaluation, collagen content measurement and circular dichroism (CD) measurement indicated that the washing temperatures clearly affected the collagen structure of the decellularized carotid artery. The amount of collagen decreased in the carotid artery decellularized by HHP washed at 37°C (HHP/37°C). On the other hand, the amount and structure of collagen were preserved in the carotid artery washed at 4°C after HHP (HHP/4°C). In rat carotid artery syngeneic transplantation, the HHP/37°C decellularized carotid artery occluded after 2 weeks, but the HHP/4°C decellularized one did not. These results indicate that collagen denaturation and leakage of the decellularized carotid artery affect the in vivo performance of the carotid artery.