Human flexor tendons were acellularized with 0.1% SDS in 0.1% EDTA for 24  h with preservation of mechanical properties. Preservation of collagen and glycoaminoglycans and re-seeding with human cells suggest that this scaffold is biocompatible. This will provide a promising scaffold for future human flexor tendon tissue engineering studies to further assess biocompatibility through cell proliferation and in vivo studies.

Peracetic acid treatment of acellularized tendon scaffolds increases matrix porosity, leading to greater reseeding. It may prove to be an important step in tissue engineering of human flexor tendon using natural scaffolds.