AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJB026150132
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Early Access

One-step decellularization of porcine uterine tissue for developing alginate–decellularized uterine ECM hydrogel for uterine tissue engineering

Fazel Anvari-Yazdi Abbas1* Kobra Tahermanesh2 Maryam Ejlali3 Louison Blivet-Bailly1,4 Vatsala Singh1,5 Bishnu Acharya6 Daniel J. MacPhee7 Ildiko Badea2* Xiongbiao Chen1,8*
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1 Division of Biomedical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Dr, Saskatoon, S7K 5A9, Canada
2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran
3 College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7N 5E5, Canada
4 École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris (ESPCI Paris), PSL Research University, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France
5 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
6 Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A9, Canada
7 Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
8 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Dr, S7K 5A9 Saskatoon, Canada
Received: 6 April 2026 | Revised: 26 May 2026 | Accepted: 1 June 2026 | Published online: 3 June 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Decellularized uterine extracellular matrix (dUECM) is promising for uterine tissue engineering because of its inherent bioactivity and structural complexity. However, transforming dUECM into porous, functional 3D constructs remains a significant challenging. This study aimed to (1) synthesize dUECM using a modified decellularization protocol and formulate it into a hydrogel ink and (2) fabricate 3D-printed constructs from this ink to assess their capacity to support human uterine myometrial cell growth in vitro. Porcine uterine tissues were decellularized using 1% Triton™ X-100 with varying concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) (0.1-1.5%) for 48-72 hours. The resulting dUECM was characterized using DNA and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) quantification, picrosirius red-polarized light microscopy, routine histology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). To prepare the ink, dUECM powder was enzymatically digested with pepsin and subsequently blended with 2% and 3% alginate to obtain a printable hydrogel formulation. Constructs were fabricated using extrusion-based 3D printing and assessed for filament fidelity, swelling, degradation behavior, and mechanical properties. Biocompatibility was evaluated using hTERT-HM myometrial cells through MTT metabolic assays, Live/Dead staining, and immunohistochemical (IHC) α-SMA staining. The optimal protocol (1% Triton™ X-100 + 1% SDS for 48 h) reduced DNA to 51.3 ± 9 ng/mg while retaining a high level of GAGs (54.9 ± 7.6 µg/mg). Preservation of the ECM structure was confirmed by spectroscopy analyses. The 3% Alg + 1.5% dUECM hydrogel exhibited suitable printability (1.5 ± 0.2), swelling capacity (47 ± 12%), degradation resistance (94 ± 18% mass retention), and mechanical strength (decreasing from 323 kPa to 175 kPa over 14 days), along with high viability and proliferation (258 ± 13%). The developed dUECM-based hydrogel supports 3D bioprinting with strong mechanical and biological performance, offering a promising platform for uterine tissue engineering.

Keywords
Tissue engineering
Hybrid hydrogel
Scaffolds
3D-extrusion printing
Uterine smooth muscle
Extracellular matrix
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing