Fig. 2

Successful decellularization was confirmed by a significant reduction in DNA levels for all protocols (a). Protein content was also reduced after decellularization (b), and the process affected the total weight of the ovaries (c). Gel electrophoresis confirmed low DNA concentrations, and lingering DNA fragments of various sizes were only detected in the SDC-treated (P2) ovaries (d). Furthermore, the protocol (P) 2 -treated ovaries exhibited less change compared with the P1- and P3-treated ovaries that were exposed to SDS during the decellularization, as indicated both by weight and macroscopic observations (c, and e-f) compared with normal (N) ovary. The Shapiro-Wilk normality test confirmed a non-parametric distribution. Thus, the shown values are medians with their respective interquartile ranges. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn’s multiple group comparison were conducted to evaluate significant differences (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001). Note that values in B are based on two specimens per sample (a total of 6 ovaries per group were assessed in pooled pairs, resulted in n = 3 for statistical evaluation). Since all ovaries could be weighed, large samples groups were obtained for the weight assessment (C)