Recent advancements in regenerative medicine have enhanced the development of biomaterials as multi-functional dressings, capable of accelerating wound healing and addressing the challenge of chronic wounds. Hydrogels obtained from decellularized tissues have a complex composition, comparable to the native extracellular environment, showing highly interesting characteristics for wound healing applications. In this study, a bovine pericardium decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) hydrogel was characterized in terms of macromolecules content, and its immunomodulatory, angiogenic and wound healing potential has been evaluated. The polarization profile of human monocytes-derived macrophages seeded on dECM hydrogel was assessed by RT-qPCR. Angiogenic markers expression has been evaluated by Western blot and antibody array on cell lysates derived from endothelial cells cultured on dECM hydrogel, and a murine in vivo model of hindlimb ischemia was used to evaluate the angiogenic potential. Fibroblast migration was assessed by a transwell migration assay, and an in vivo murine wound healing model treated with dECM hydrogels was also used. The results showed a complex composition, of which the major component is collagen type I. The dECM hydrogel is biocompatible, able to drive M2 phenotype polarization, stimulate the expression of angiogenic markers in vitro, and prevent loss of functionality in hindlimb ischemia model. Furthermore, it drives fibroblast migration and shows ability to facilitate wound closure in vivo, demonstrating its great potential for regenerative applications.
Keywords: angiogenesis; decellularized extracellular matrix; immunomodulation; natural hydrogel; tissue engineering; wound healing.