*Review* **Tissue-Specific Decellularization Methods: Rationale and Strategies to Achieve Regenerative Compounds**

**Unai Mendibil 1,2, Raquel Ruiz-Hernandez 1,**†**, Sugoi Retegi-Carrion 1,**†**, Nerea Garcia-Urquia 2,**†**, Beatriz Olalde-Graells 2 and Ander Abarrategi 1,3,\***

1 Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), 20014 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain; umendibil@cicbiomagune.es (U.M.); rruiz@cicbiomagune.es(R.R.-H.);sretegi@cicbiomagune.es(S.R.-C.)


Received: 15 July 2020; Accepted: 28 July 2020; Published: 30 July 2020

**Abstract:** The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex network with multiple functions, including specific functions during tissue regeneration. Precisely, the properties of the ECM have been thoroughly used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research, aiming to restore the function of damaged or dysfunctional tissues. Tissue decellularization is gaining momentum as a technique to obtain potentially implantable decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) with well-preserved key components. Interestingly, the tissue-specific dECM is becoming a feasible option to carry out regenerative medicine research, with multiple advantages compared to other approaches. This review provides an overview of the most common methods used to obtain the dECM and summarizes the strategies adopted to decellularize specific tissues, aiming to provide a helpful guide for future research development.

**Keywords:** extracellular matrix; decellularization; regenerative medicine
