FIG. 3.

IHC reveals maintenance of ECM proteins after decellularization. (A–D) Collagen type I and collagen type IV are retained after decellularization and appear minimally affected by the decellularization process. (E–H) Laminin and fibronectin are retained in equal abundance in decellularized lung; however, the organization of these proteins in the acellular scaffold appears ragged and moth-eaten. (I–L) Secondary antibody-only and IgG isotype controls for staining show no appreciable fluorescence in native or decellularized lung tissue. Insets in all panels show DAPI staining of the field; bright nuclear-specific staining can be observed in native lungs but not in decellularized lungs. IHC, immunohistochemistry. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/tea