Bioactive decellularized extracellular matrix-based hydrogel supports human adipose tissue-derived stem cell maintenance and fibrocartilage phenotype

Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM)-based hydrogels combined with hASCs could serve as an interface for studying behavior and differentiation properties in a cartilage microenvironment. In the present study, we described the behavior of hASCs cultured in a commercial dECM MatriXpec™. The protein composition of MatriXpec™ was accessed by mass spectrometry and is mainly represented by collagen proteins, building an hydrogel fibrous ultrastructure.