Decellularization of porcine heart tissue to obtain extracellular matrix based hydrogels.

The use of hydrogels derived from the extracellular matrix (ECM) in tissue engineering applications aims to overcome the conundrum of mimicking the complexity of ECM composition in vitro. In this chapter, we describe a method of decellularization and subsequent formation of an ECM-based hydrogel using porcine heart tissue. These decellularized ECM hydrogels could be used to create semi-interpenetrating networks or as bioinks in bioprinting applications to further enhance the bioactivity and increase the biomimicry degree of the biological cardiac constructs.