Comparison of mechanical properties of rabbit and human skin decellular scaffolds for alternative uses in tissue engineering

Abstract Objectives : In skin tissue engineering, there is a need for suitable tissue replacements that can be used as scaffolding. The higher similarity of the structural properties and biocompatibility of these scaffolds, the more desirable the alternative will be. Due to this, and considering that this scaffold should be used decellularized if needed, this study was performed on decellularized tissues. this study aimed to study the similarity of mechanical properties of rabbit decellularized derma with human decellularized derm. Methods : Sampling was done in this study as available. A total of 52 rabbit specimens were obtained, which were divided into two groups: decellularized and control. Twelve human specimens were obtained, which were decellularized and controlled. The stress strain of the samples was measured by Zwick / Roell Z010 device. Then, based on the obtained values, Young's modulus was calculated and the mean values in the groups were compared by t-test. Graphpad prism Version 9.0.0 software was used for comparison. A significance level of 0.05 was considered. Results : The results showed that there was no significant difference between the mean Young's modulus of rabbit skin samples before and after decellularization. The results also showed that there was no significant difference between the mean Young's modulus of human skin samples before and after decellularization. Finally, the results showed that there is no significant difference between the mean Young's modulus of decellularized rabbit skin and decellularized human skin. Conclusion : According to the results of this study, detoxified rabbit skin can be a suitable alternative to human skin in tissue engineering in terms of mechanical properties.