Biomimetic boundary lubricants for articular cartilage
AssigneeCornell University
InventorsDavid PUTNAM, Mingchee TAN, Kirk J. SAMAROO, Lawrence J. BONASSAR
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Abstract
This invention relates to methods of lubrication for biological tissue, especially joint and cartilage surfaces, and to methods of treating osteoarthritis using high molecular weight, hydrophilic polymer brushes, which mimic the structure and activity of lubricin. These synthetic lubricin analog polymer brushes (termed herein graft brush polymers), include poly(acrylic acid) backbones grafted with polyethylene glycol.
Claims24
A method for imparting a suitable level of lubricity to a biological tissue which comprises contacting said biological tissue with an sufficient amount of a composition to impart suitable lubricity, said composition comprising a graft brush copolymer with a pAA backbone or a graft brush copolymer comprising (i) a polyanionic backbone having a polydispersity index ranging from 1.0 to about 1.5 and a molecular weight ranging from about 50 kDa to about 200 kDa, (ii) brush segments having a molecular weight ranging from about 1 kDa to about 20 kDa, and (iii) at least one functionalizable group, selected from thiol and amine groups, located on at least one of the two terminal ends of the polyanionic backbone.
A method for treating osteoarthritis which comprises administering to an arthritic or an injured joint of a patient a therapeutically-effective amount of a graft brush copolymer to impart a suitable level of lubricity to said arthritic or injured joint, said graft brush copolymer comprising a pAA backbone or a graft brush copolymer comprising (i) a polyanionic backbone having a polydispersity index ranging from 1.0 to about 1.5 and a molecular weight ranging from about 50 kDa to about 200 kDa, (ii) brush segments having a molecular weight ranging from about 1 kDa to about 20 kDa, and (iii) at least one functionalizable group, selected from thiol and amine groups, located on at least one of the two terminal ends of the polyanionic backbone.
-38. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.