Pericardial anti-adhesion patch

• US 6,599,526 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2001
• Issued: 07/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of North Texas Health Science Center (University of North Texas)
• Original Assignee: University of North Texas Health Science Center (University of North Texas)
• Inventors: Dimitrijevich, Slobodan Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kishore, Gollamudi S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Young, Micah Paul
• Application Number:
  US09/932,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20020028233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 435/243, 435/240, 435/241, 424/443, 424/464, 424/465, 424/427, 424/484, 424/471.4, 424/422, 424/423, 424/426, 604/891.1
• US Class Current: 424/448
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 15/40 containing ingredients of undetermined constitution or reaction products thereof , e.g. plant or animal extracts
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/36 containing ingredients of undetermined constitution or reaction products thereof , e.g. transplant tissue, natural bone, extracellular matrix isolated natural compounds, e.g. collagen A61L27/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/3804 characterised by specific cells or progenitors thereof, e.g. fibroblasts, connective tissue cells, kidney cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/3817 Cartilage-forming cells, e.g. pre-chondrocytes
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/3826 Muscle cells, e.g. smooth muscle cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/3895 using specific culture conditions, e.g. stimulating differentiation of stem cells, pulsatile flow conditions
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/005 Ingredients of undetermined constitution or reaction products thereof

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an anti-adhesion patch, which is constructed using a tissue equivalent technique. The anti-adhesion patch comprises a collagenous material and at least one non-living cellular component. Also provided is a method for preventing tissue adhesions between organs and other tissues being operated upon during surgical procedures by utilizing the anti-adhesion patch disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method of constructing an anti-adhesion patch, comprising the steps of:

(a) mixing human connective tissue cells with a collagenous material;

(b) incubating the resulting mixture in a matrix organization medium to stimulate the cells to adapt to and organize the collagenous material into a mono-cellular tissue equivalent having desirable dimensions and mechanical properties;

(c) treating the tissue equivalent to eliminate the cells; and

(d) confirming the absence of viable cells in the tissue equivalent after the treatment, wherein said tissue equivalent may be used as an anti-adhesion patch.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said collagenous material is in an acid solution and first neutralized at 4°

C. before the mixing step.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said acidic solution is hydrochloric solution.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said human connective tissue cell is a fibroblast cell or a vascular smooth muscle cell.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said fibroblast cell is a dermal fibroblast cell.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said collagenous material is collagen type I or a combination of collagen type I and a co-component.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said co-component is selected from the group consisting of elastin, interstitial collagens, collagen type III, V and IX, glycoproteins and proteoglycans.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said collagenous material is from a natural source or a recombinant source.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said matrix organization medium contains fetal bovine serum.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said matrix organization medium is a serum-free cocktail of growth factors selected from the group consisting of fibroblast growth factor (FGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF_β

) and a mixture thereof.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said cocktail of growth factors are in the presence of growth promoters.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said growth promoter includes transferrin and insulin.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell-elimination treatment includes nutrient deprivation, antibiotics treatment and anti-mitotics treatment.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said antibiotics includes puromycin, amphoteracin and mitomycin.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said anti-mitotics is 5-flurouracil.