The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.
CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Agricultural and Food Economics
Volume 8 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1434977
Sustainable Varicose Vein Therapy Using Functionalized Hydrogels Derived Solely from Livestock Waste
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Immunology and Physiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- 2 University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Developing sustainable and effective treatments for chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is crucial. In this study, we propose an innovative restorative approach utilizing hydrogels derived from the decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) from cadaveric vascular tissues, adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). This therapeutic method leverages waste valorization by repurposing discarded cadaveric tissues from slaughterhouse livestock. The dECM hydrogels, enriched with ADSCs and AuNPs, offer a biocompatible scaffold that supports cellular differentiation and vascular integrity. Our approach addresses the limitations of current allo-, auto-, and xenograft methods by enhancing integration and functionality while potentially reducing costs through sustainable practices. This study explores functionalized hydrogel formulation solely generated from agri-food waste, gelation mechanisms, and preliminary cost-effectiveness, presenting a promising new avenue for treating early-stage varicose veins that can ultimately be translated to human models using discarded tissues.
Keywords: Venous Insufficiency, Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM), dECM hydrogel, adipose-derived stem cells, Valvular interstitial cells (VICs), Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)
Received: 19 May 2024; Accepted: 17 Jul 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Corridon, Ali, Shibru, Paunovic, Pantic and Preston. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Peter R. Corridon, Department of Immunology and Physiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Meklit G. Shibru
1