FIGURE 2.

Decellularized vascular scaffolds created from biological waste obtained using native sheep aorta collected at a local slaughterhouse. These images provide an example of the repurposing process, whereby harvested organs are transformed into viable scaffolds for tissue-engineering purposes: (A) processing of sheep at the local slaughterhouse for the collection of meat, (B) discarded thoracic sections being dissected to obtain the aorta, (C) an intact aorta that was dissected and prepared for decellularization directly after it was harvested, (D) histologic image of a native aorta shown in image (C), (E) aorta after decellularization, and (F) histologic image of the decellularized aorta showing the significant variation in cellular components present in the native structure compared to the scaffold (E). Arrows in images (D) and (F) identify tunica intima and vascular lumen, and scale bars represent 50 µm.