{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T10:46:18Z","timestamp":1768214778573,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]],"date-time":"2026-01-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768003200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Fondazione Carit, Cassa di Risparmio di Terni e Narni","award":["2457"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2457"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Preservation of spermatogonial cells is of critical importance for male patients undergoing gonadotoxic therapies. Testicular organoids generated by 3D polymeric scaffolds filled with decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) have the potential to promote stem cell growth. We propose a protocol to produce dECM from porcine prepubertal tunica albuginea for use in polymeric scaffolds. Spectroscopic analysis, molecular biology techniques, and histo-morphological assessment were used to evaluate the morphology and mechano-chemistry of the dECM at each phase of the process. The results obtained from this study demonstrate that the protocol can produce a high-purity product without causing significant alterations to protein conformation. The dECM obtained was then employed in the creation of a 3D scaffold for the cultivation of testis organoids. This was achieved by utilizing a mixture of alginate (A) and chitosan (C), which are natural polymers with a high degree of biocompatibility, that have extensive application in the field of biomedicine. Scaffold characterization demonstrated that the presence of dECM affects the scaffold\u2019s mechanical properties by tuning structural reorganization and reducing hygroscopicity. The cell viability assay demonstrates that the A\/C scaffolds are non-cytotoxic after a pre-phase of immersion in the medium.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym18020194","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T07:30:34Z","timestamp":1768203034000},"page":"194","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Production and Multimodal Characterization of Decellularized Extracellular Matrix from Porcine Prepubertal Tunica Albuginea as Additive to Polymeric Scaffolds for Testicular Organoid Growth"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8667-7394","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martina","family":"Alunni Cardinali","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Iva","family":"Arato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Piazzale Luigi Severi, 06132 Perugia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8785-5033","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesca","family":"Luzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Science and Engineering of Matter, Environment and Urban Planning (SIMAU), Universit\u00e0 Politecnica delle Marche, UdR INSTM, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marco","family":"Rallini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Perugia, UdR INSTM, Strada di Pentima 4, 05100 Terni, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cinzia","family":"Lilli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Piazzale Luigi Severi, 06132 Perugia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Catia","family":"Bellucci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Piazzale Luigi Severi, 06132 Perugia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4920-2784","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paola","family":"Sassi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4487-0035","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniele","family":"Fioretto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giovanni","family":"Luca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Piazzale Luigi Severi, 06132 Perugia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8515-7813","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Debora","family":"Puglia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Perugia, UdR INSTM, Strada di Pentima 4, 05100 Terni, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6562-5923","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesca","family":"Mancuso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Piazzale Luigi Severi, 06132 Perugia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"426","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2025.05.176","article-title":"Male Prepubertal Fertility Preservation: A Review","volume":"124","author":"Vogt","year":"2025","journal-title":"Fertil. 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