BIOFUNCTIONALIZING PLANTS : USING NATURE AS TISSUE ENGINEERING SCAFFOLDS

Decellularizing plants and using them as tissue scaffolds is a potential solution to issues faced by the field of regenerative medicine. This bioengineering method was implemented in the last few years to overcome the structural complexities of delivering a sustainable amount of nutrients to human tissue. The lack of efficient vascularity is the main problem that arose when developing artificial organs. Since plant and animal tissues share so many structural similarities, engineers are able to extract plant cells from leaves and stems using decellularization techniques and implant human cells back into these plant tissue scaffolds. Simply put, researchers are able to replicate the mechanical properties of human tissues through the usage of various plant geometries since the vascular networks of plants act as efficient passageways for nutrients in human tissue development. Another reason for seeking an alternative tissue engineering process is the lack of organ donors. Conventional methods such as decellularizing and repurposing human tissues result in a lack of biocompatibility and efficient vascularity. These processes are also too costly, and varying biological compositions of donor tissues often lead to organ rejection. On the other hand, plants are easily accessible, which makes them cost-effective. Using plant specimens could also potentially minimize biodegradation since plants are found to be more compatible in laboratory environments due to their cellulose composition. With further experimentation, biofunctionalizing plants could be the future of regenerative medicine by increasing access to organ transplants through a more promising and sustainable process. Key Words— Artificial Organs, Biocompatibility, Decellularization, Extracellular Matrix (ECM), Recellularization, Tissue Scaffolds, Vascularity DO WE NEED MORE ORGANS? Effects of the Organ Transplant Crisis The vast shortage of viable organ replacements is alarming, and current tissue engineering methods have proven to be ineffective in addressing this issue. The biggest concern surrounding current artificial organs is biocompatibility. It is often seen that the newly created organs either degrade over time or lack a functional vascular system. Correlation between experimental setbacks and the availability of organs can also be seen in stats regarding organ transplants. According to a study, “in the U.S. alone, more than a hundred thousand people need heart transplants each year but only about 2,000 receive one” [1]. Scientific research cannot increase the number of organ donors but being able to create organs will drastically increase the number of annual transplants. To achieve this, however, complications of current engineering methods must be overcome. Because of this organ transplant crisis, scientists decided to build upon current research and develop a new way of engineering artificial organs and tissues that would maximize biocompatibility, while simultaneously be easily accessible to all organ transplant patients [2]. After considering all the factors that made current methods unreliable, researchers turned to bioengineered plant scaffolds. Instead of using traditional methods and human tissue scaffolds to make artificial organs, research on using plant tissues has slowly taken precedence. This new process avoids the need for human tissue donors, potentially eliminating current limitations caused by functionality and vascularity of artificial organs, biocompatibility, affordability, and availability. Engineering a More Sustainable Pathway While sustainability has become a buzz word, it has brought on several varying definitions. This new tissue engineering technology embodies many of these definitions as it is sustainable in many respects. The most significant aspect of sustainability in regard to biofunctionalizing plants is its potential to improve a patient’s quality of life. Conventional tissue engineering methods have proven to be unreliable in supplying artificial organs due to adverse effects of inconsistencies dealing with biocompatibility and organ rejection. Since plants are easily obtainable, this new direction in using plants as tissue engineering scaffolds will provide an alternative pathway to making artificial organs, one that will produce tissues with greater functional reliability and accessibility. Using plant scaffolds for tissue engineering purposes is also sustainable in respects to economics and the environment.