Acellular matrix implant for treatment of cartilage lesions, injuries and defects

Abstract

An acellular matrix implant for treatment of defects and injuries of articular cartilage, bone or osteochondral bone and a method for treatment of injured, damaged, diseased or aged articular cartilage or bone, using the acellular matrix implant implanted into a joint cartilage lesion in situ and a bone-inducing composition implanted into an osteochondral or bone defect. A method for repair and restoration of the injured, damaged, diseased or aged cartilage or bone into its full functionality by implanting the acellular matrix implant between two layers of biologically acceptable sealants and/or the bone-inducing composition into the osteochondral bone or skeletal bone defect. A method for fabrication of the acellular matrix implant of the invention. A method for preparation of bone-inducing composition.

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       30 . An acellular matrix implant for implantation into an injured, damaged, diseased or aged cartilage, said implant comprising a collagenous construct a construct prepared from a polymer of an aromatic organic acid, or a construct prepared from a thermo-reversible hydrogel, sol-gel or gel material.  
   
   
       31 . The implant of  claim 30  wherein said construct further comprises a compound selected from the group consisting of a mediator, growth factor, enzyme, protein, peptide and a drug able to enhance endogenous production of said mediator, factor, enzyme, protein or peptide.  
   
   
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       38 . The implant of  claim 31  wherein said enzyme, protein or peptide is selected from the groups consisting of a matrix remodeling enzyme, a matrix metalloproteinase, aggrecanase and cathepsin.  
   
   
       39 . The implant of  claim 30  wherein said construct is prepared from a material selected from the group consisting of a Type I collagen, a Type II collagen, a Type IV collagen, a cell-contracted collagen containing proteoglycan, a cell-contracted collagen containing glycosaminoglycan, a cell-contracted collagen containing glycoprotein, a polymer of an aromatic organic acid, gelatin, agarose, hyaluronin, fibronectin, laminin, a bioactive peptide growth factor, a cytokine, elastin, fibrin, a polymer of an aromatic organic acid or a copolymer thereof, a synthetic polymeric fiber made of polylactic acid, a synthetic polymeric fiber made of polyglycolic acid, a polycaprolactone, a polyamino acid, a polypeptide gel, a polymeric thermo-reversible gelation hydrogel (TRGH), a copolymer thereof and a combination thereof.  
   
   
       40 . The implant of  claim 30  wherein said construct is a biodegradable collagenous sponge, collagenous porous sponge, collagenous honeycomb sponge or a collagenous scaffold.  
   
   
       41 . The implant of  claim 40  wherein said sponge or scaffold is prepared from Type I collagen.  
   
   
       42 . The implant of  claim 41  wherein said sponge or scaffold is a porous construct having a size from 1 to 5 mm in diameter, about 1.5 mm in thickness and pores sizes from about 200 to about 400 μm.  
   
   
       43 . The implant of  claim 42  wherein said sponge or scaffold is incorporated with a thermo-reversible gelation hydrogel as a sol at temperatures between about 5 to about 30° C., wherein at the body temperature said thermo-reversible gelation hydrogel converts from a fluidic sol into a solid gel.  
   
   
       44 . The implant of  claim 39  wherein said construct is prepared from the thermo-reversible gelation hydrogel.  
   
   
       45 . The implant of  claim 44  wherein said thermo-reversible gelation hydrogel (TRGH) construct is deposited into a lesion cavity of the injured, damaged, diseased or aged cartilage cavity as a fluidic sol at a temperature between about 5 to about 30° C., wherein within said cavity and at the body temperature said thermo-reversible gelation hydrogel converts from the fluidic sol into a solid gel.  
   
   
       46 . The implant of  claim 39  wherein said construct is prepared from the polymer of the aromatic organic acid.  
   
   
       47 . The implant of  claim 30  wherein said construct is biocompatible, biodegradable, hydrophilic and has a neutral charge.  
   
   
       48 . A collagenous acellular matrix implant for implantation into an injured, damaged, diseased or aged cartilage lesion, said implant prepared from a collagenous material fabricated as a sponge, porous sponge, scaffold, porous scaffold, honeycomb, porous honeycomb, honeycomb scaffold, lattice or porous lattice.  
   
   
       49 . The implant of  claim 48  that is biocompatible, biodegradable and hydrophilic.  
   
   
       50 . The implant of  claim 49  prepared from a material selected from the group consisting of a Type I collagen, a Type II collagen, a Type IV collagen, a cell-contracted collagen containing proteoglycan or a cell-contracted collagen containing glycosaminoglycan or glycoprotein.  
   
   
       51 . The implant of  claim 50  wherein said implant is a porous construct having a size from 1 to 5 mm in diameter, about 1.5 mm in thickness and pores sizes from about 200 to about 400 μm.  
   
   
       52 . The implant of  claim 51  wherein the size of the implant is adjusted to the size of the cartilage lesion.  
   
   
       53 . The implant of  claim 52  wherein said implant is incorporated with a thermo-reversible gelation hydrogel as a sol at temperatures between about 5 to about 30° C., wherein at the body temperature said thermo-reversible gelation hydrogel converts from a fluidic sol into a solid gel.