EFFECT OF GAMMA RAY STERILISATION ON DIFFERENTLY DECELLULARISED OMENTUM BASED SCAFFOLDS

Terminal sterilisation of extracellular matrix scaffolds is an essential step in biomedical applications as well as ensuring product safety. Selection of appropriate sterilisation method is crucial in order to retain the structural and mechanical properties of the scaffold. The present study evaluated the effect of gamma ray sterilisation (25KGy) on biomechanical properties of differently decellularised omental scaffolds. Triton X- 100 and bile were used as decellularising agents and un-processed defattened omentum as control. Effect of irradiation on maximum force, tensile strength and Young's modulus before and after irradiation was evaluated using Texture Profile Analyser. Our results indicated that, gamma ray irradiation reduced the maximum force and tensile strength of differently processed omental scaffolds. Bile treatment was found to have more protective action on the structural component of the scaffolds than triton X-100. Thus, bile treated omental scaffold showed better biomechanical properties for maximum force and tensile strength than triton X- 100 after irradiation.