Mechanical Characterization of the Decellularized Porcine Small Intestinal Submucosa Extracellular Matrix

In this work, the decellularized porcine small intestinal submucosa extracellular matrix (SIS-ECM), obtained from the commercial product under the trade name of CorMatrix, were tested in uniaxial tension. Preconditioning under cyclic loading of 2 N was conducted to stabilize the mechanical response of the tissue. The influence of rehydration time on the mechanical properties of the tissue was evaluated. Results suggested that the stiffness of SIS-ECM decreased with longer rehydration time. Considering the application of CorMatrix in pericardial closure, the native pericardium samples were also tested. The comparison indicated that the native pericardium is softer than rehydrated CorMatrix. This work can facilitate the surgeons to better choose the appropriate rehydration time when conducting the extracardiac implantations, such as pericardial reconstruction, pericardial closure, etc.