Standardizing Chondrocyte Isolation and Articular Cartilage Decellularization: A Versatile Bioink for Tissue Engineering Applications.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a noncellular component of tissues that provides structural and biochemical support to cells. The purpose of decellularization is to provide a tissue-specific niche to preserve the architecture, composition, and signaling molecules of the ECM. The current protocol discusses the standardization of chondrocyte isolation and the preparation of acellular ECM as a bioink additive from human native articular cartilage.