KR102716241B1 - A drug loaded suture thread - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a medical suture loaded with a drug, which enables delivery of the drug into the body and locally, by loading the drug into the hollow portion of an anchoring cone, thereby having an excellent lifting effect and skin wrinkle removal effect.

Description

{ A drug loaded suture thread }

The present invention relates to a suture used for medical purposes, and more specifically, to a medical suture loaded with a drug, which enables delivery into the body and local delivery of the drug by loading the drug into the hollow portion of an anchoring cone provided in the suture, thereby having an excellent lifting effect and skin wrinkle removal effect.

A suture thread is a thread used to sew up a wound or surgically damaged part of the body. Initially, catgut, which is made from organ extracts such as the intestines or tendons of sheep, pigs, and horses, was widely used. However, its use gradually decreased due to its low strength, which makes it unsuitable for use, and also due to concerns about tissue rejection and the occurrence of animal-derived diseases.

Since then, alternative materials such as synthetic polymers such as nylon and silk have been developed and widely used, but these materials are not degradable and lack biocompatibility in the human body, and require additional surgery to remove them after a certain period of time after the procedure, which has limited their use.

This has led to the widespread use of synthetic polymer sutures containing ester bonds that biodegrade upon long-term exposure to aqueous conditions since the 1970s.

Sutures include absorbable sutures that are naturally absorbed in the body and do not need to be removed after wound repair, and non-absorbable sutures that need to be removed after wound repair.

Recently, the use of absorbable sutures that do not require a post-processing step for removal after surgery is increasing. However, in the case of absorbable sutures with ester bonds made of synthetic polymers, there are concerns about side effects due to foreign body rejection reactions in the early stages of use, and even if they are decomposed by body fluids in the body in the long term, the decomposed residues remain in the body for a long time, raising questions about biocompatibility and safety.

Accordingly, the use of these absorbable sutures as lifting sutures for improving wrinkles and for cosmetic purposes is increasing significantly, rather than their original use as tissue repair materials, such as tissue bonding after internal and external surgeries.

As a prior art related to the above suture, Korean Patent No. 10-1784863 (October 13, 2017) describes a technology for coating a hyaluronate aqueous solution on the surface of an existing biodegradable suture. However, due to the smooth surface of the suture, the stability of the coating surface is limited, and during actual procedure, the coating component does not penetrate into the skin, making it difficult to exhibit proper efficacy. In addition, since the currently commercialized drug delivery sutures are mainly limited to antibacterial effects such as analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents, and antibiotics, there is a need for the development of a suture that can locally deliver a wider variety of drugs and enhance the delivery effect.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a medical suture having an excellent drug delivery effect in the body and capable of local delivery, which is excellent in stability and biocompatibility, and which is loaded with a drug having an excellent drug delivery effect in the body during a procedure. The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

A medical suture (100) loaded with a drug according to the present invention for solving the above problem comprises: a core filament (10); anchoring cones (20) provided at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the core filament (10); a cap (25) provided at the end of the anchoring cone (20); And a knot (30) provided at the front part of the anchoring cone (20); wherein a drug is loaded on one side of the anchoring cone (20), and it is preferable that the core filament (10) is fastened by penetrating the anchoring cone (20) and the cap (25), the anchoring cone (20) has a cone shape having a hollow portion (35) whose diameter increases from the front part to the distal part, and the front part has a shape that is cut horizontally, and the drug is at least one selected from the group consisting of a polypeptide, hyaluronic acid, ascorbic acid, and glutathione, and the drug can be filled in the hollow portion (35) of the anchoring cone (20), and it is preferable that the drug is in the form of a powder, a gel, or a liquid.

In addition, the core filament (10) is a monofilament or a multifilament, and the multifilament can be a monofilament braided or bladed, the thickness of the cap (25) is less than 1/2 of the thickness of the anchoring cone (20), the core filament (10) is polydioxanone, the anchoring cone (20) and the cap (25) are polylactic acid, the weight of the anchoring cone (20) is 20 to 120 g, the diameter of the first through hole (60) of the anchoring cone (20) is 0.5 to 1 mm, the height ( h ) is 5 to 10 mm, and the diameter ( w ) of the terminal is 3 to 10 mm.

And, the volume of the hollow portion (35) formed inside the anchoring cone (20) is 5 to 95 μl, the total surface area is 20 to 120 mm ² , and a barb (50) can be formed on the surface of the core filament (10), and it is particularly preferable that the diameter of the core filament (10) is 0.01 mm to 1.5 mm.

The medical suture (100) loaded with a drug according to the present invention has an excellent effect of delivering the drug into the body and enables local delivery by loading the drug into the hollow portion (35) of the anchoring cone (20). Accordingly, it has excellent stability and biocompatibility, can be used for tissue repair of various types, and has the advantages of excellent lifting effect and skin wrinkle removal effect. In addition, it exhibits high skin fixing power by the anchoring cone (20) provided in the medical suture (100), and stimulates collagen deep in the skin to improve skin elasticity and skin tone. However, the effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a medical suture loaded with a drug according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view (a) and a perspective view (b) of an anchoring cone according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is a structural diagram of a core filament according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a monofilament (a) used in the manufacture of a medical suture, a multifilament (b) in which the monofilament is braided, and a multifilament (c) in which the monofilament is bladed.

It should be understood that the terms “include,” “have,” or “equip” in this application are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and do not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries, such as those defined in common dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined in this application.

Hereinafter, a medical suture (100) loaded with a drug according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 attached to the present invention is a structural diagram of a medical suture loaded with a drug according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view (a) and a perspective view (b) of an anchoring cone according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of a core filament according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a monofilament (a) used in the manufacture of a medical suture, a multifilament (b) in which the monofilament is braided, and a multifilament (c) in which the monofilament is bladed.

The medical suture (100) loaded with a drug according to the present invention preferably includes, as shown in FIG. 1, a core filament (10), anchoring cones (20) arranged at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the core filament (10), a cap (25) provided at the distal end of the anchoring cone (20), and a knot (30) provided at predetermined intervals at the front end of the anchoring cone (20).

The above core filament (10) is made of polyglycolic acid (PGA), polyglycolic acid-lactic acid copolymer (PGLA), It may be composed of one or more biodegradable polymers selected from the group consisting of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), poly-D,L-lactic acid (PDLLA), poly-D-lactic acid (PDLA), polydioxanone (PDO), polycaprolactone (PCL), polytrimethylene carbonate (PTMC), or it may be composed of one or more non-biodegradable polymers selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polymethacrylate, polyacrylate, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, acetal resin, polysulfone, polyetheretherketone, polyurethane, epoxy resin and copolymers thereof.

Additionally, if necessary, one or more of the biodegradable polymers and one or more of the non-biodegradable polymers may be included together.

The above core filament (10) is manufactured as a monofilament for manufacturing a suture as shown in (a) of Fig. 4 using the polymer resin as described above, and since the method for manufacturing the monofilament is a technique known in the art, further description thereof will be omitted.

According to the present invention, it is particularly preferable that the core filament (10) is manufactured from polydioxanone (hereinafter referred to as PDO).

The above PDO is a biodegradable polymer manufactured by polymerizing p -dioxanone as a monomer, and can be manufactured into a suture by extruding it in the form of a fiber, i.e., a monofilament. The PDO has a low melting point, so it is inexpensive to manufacture, and in particular, it has a short biodegradation period, being decomposed within 6 months in the body. In addition, the PDO has the advantage of not causing a foreign body reaction in the body.

According to the present invention, the core filament (10) may be a monofilament such as (a) of Fig. 4 or a multifilament such as (b) and (c) of Fig. 4. The monofilament is a filament made of one strand of fiber, and the multifilament refers to a filament made of several strands of fiber.

The core filament (10) according to the present invention can be manufactured as a monofilament or a multifilament, and in this case, the multifilament can be manufactured by braiding or bladed monofilaments.

In general, a medical suture (100) can be manufactured as a monofilament consisting of a single fiber, as shown in (a) of Fig. 4. In addition, it is also possible to manufacture a multifilament by combining multiple monofilaments, as shown in (b) and (c) of Fig. 4.

That is, it is possible to manufacture a multifilament by braiding multiple monofilaments as in (b) of Fig. 4, and it is also possible to manufacture a multifilament using a multifilament manufactured through a braiding process of multiple monofilaments as in (c) of Fig. 4.

The multifilament according to the present invention can be manufactured by subjecting a plurality of the monofilaments to a plying or braiding process, as shown in (b) and (c) of FIG. 4.

Figure 4 (b) is a schematic diagram of a multifilament in which eight monofilaments are braided, and Figure 4 (c) is a schematic diagram of a multifilament in which three monofilaments are braided.

That is, as in (b) of Fig. 4, a multifilament manufactured by combining multiple monofilaments can be manufactured by combining the monofilaments using a combining machine. The combining machine refers to a device that combines two or more monofilaments. At this time, a twist may be applied during combining.

As described above, if twist is imparted during the plying of monofilaments, the strength and elongation of the manufactured multifilament can be improved. In addition, by forming the cross-sectional shape of the multifilament into a circle, the patient's pain during suturing can be reduced, and if twist is appropriately imparted, it is also possible to smoothly control the surface of the multifilament.

In addition, as shown in (c) of Fig. 4, a multifilament in which a plurality of monofilaments are braided can be manufactured through a braiding process in which the monofilaments are oriented so that the fibers are inclined in the long direction by crossing each other, and are manufactured in a continuous state without being cut by folding and bending at the ends.

As described above, multifilaments manufactured by braiding or blading monofilaments have high tensile strength, and thus have the advantage of not easily splitting the treatment area due to external force after the treatment.

The above-mentioned plying and blading processes are known techniques in the art, so further description thereof will be omitted. However, it is preferable that the multifilament of the present invention be made by plying or blading 5 to 24 monofilaments to vary the thickness and strength. -

As discussed above, it is preferable that the core filament (10) according to the present invention is manufactured using the PDO. In addition, it is preferable that the diameter of the core filament (10) is 0.01 mm to 1.5 mm.

If the diameter of the above core filament (10) is less than 0.01 mm, it may be easily broken during or after the procedure, and if the diameter exceeds 1.5 mm, the procedure area may become unnatural and difficulty may occur during the procedure.

In addition, according to the present invention, as shown in Fig. 3, one or more protruding barbs (50) can be formed at regular intervals on the surface along the length of the core filament (10) of the present invention. The suture has unidirectional mobility due to the barbs (50) formed as described above.

That is, due to the structure of the barb (50) that can suppress movement in one direction during the procedure by the barb (50), the suture can be suppressed from moving in the opposite direction after being inserted through the tissue in one direction.

The above-mentioned barb (50) can be configured as a protruding projection on the surface of the core filament (10), as shown in FIG. 3, and the above-mentioned barb (50) can be formed through various methods.

That is, the barb (50) can be manufactured by injection molding or compression molding a resin for manufacturing a suture into a mold capable of forming the barb (50). In addition, it is also possible to manufacture the barb (50) by applying heat compression to a portion of the core filament (10) at a location where the formation of the barb (50) is required. The barb (50) can be formed into various shapes such as a triangular pyramid, a triangular truncated pyramid, a triangular prism, a square pyramid, a square truncated pyramid, a prism, a cone, a truncated cone, a cylinder, etc., depending on the shape of the mold or the processing method.

In addition, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the core filament (10) constituting the medical suture (100) loaded with the drug according to the present invention may be provided with anchoring cones (20) arranged at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction.

The above anchoring cone (20) may be configured in a cone shape having a hollow portion (35) whose diameter increases from the front portion provided at one end to the end portion provided at the opposite end, as shown in (a) of FIG. 2.

And, it is preferable that the anchoring cone (20) be provided with a hollow portion (35) filled with a drug, as shown in (a) and (b) of Fig. 2.

In particular, according to the present invention, it is preferable that the anchoring cone (20) has a cone shape with the upper part cut off as shown in Fig. 2 so that the position can be easily fixed by a knot (30) after being mounted on the core filament (10).

As shown in Fig. 1, the anchoring cones (20) mounted on the core filament (10) have the same shape and can be mounted on the core filament (10).

In addition, according to the present invention, a cap (25) may be provided at the end of the anchoring cone (20) to block the hollow portion (35) of the anchoring cone (20). The cap (25) blocks the hollow portion (35) of the anchoring cone (20) when a drug, which will be described later, is filled in the hollow portion, thereby preventing the drug from leaking out to the outside.

It is preferable that the cap (25) above be provided with a thickness of less than half the thickness of the anchoring cone (20) so that it can be rapidly biodegraded in the body after the medical suture (100) is applied and release the drug filled in the hollow portion (35).

According to the present invention, the core filament (10) is fastened by penetrating the central portion of the anchoring cone (20) and the cap (25), as shown in FIG. 1, thereby enabling the cap (25) to block the hollow portion (35) of the anchoring cone (20).

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that a first through hole (60) is formed in the front portion of the anchoring cone (20) and a second through hole (65) is formed in the center portion of the cap (25) so that the core filament (10) can be fastened by penetrating through the anchoring cone (20) and the cap (25).

At this time, it is preferable that the core filament (10) be formed with a diameter that can be forcibly fitted into the second hollow portion (65) formed in the cap (25) so that the cap (25) can smoothly block the hollow portion (35) of the anchoring cone (20).

That is, as described above, the diameter of the core filament (10) according to the present invention can be selected in the range of 0.01 to 1.5 mm, and at this time, it is preferable to have a diameter that can be forcibly fitted into the second through hole (65).

As described above, by forcefully fitting the core filament (10) into the second through hole (65), the cap (250) is prevented from being separated from the end of the anchoring cone (20) during the procedure, and thus, the drug can be smoothly blocked from leaking out from the hollow portion (35).

In particular, in order to release the drug by biodegrading in the body faster than the anchoring cone (20), it is preferable that the thickness of the cap (250) be formed to be less than half the thickness of the anchoring cone (20). As described above, by forming the thickness of the cap (25) to be less than half the thickness of the anchoring cone (20), the cap (250) is biodegraded first in the body after the procedure, and accordingly, the hollow portion (35) is opened to release the drug that was filled into the body.

According to the present invention, the anchoring cone (20) and cap (25) are preferably manufactured from polylactic acid (hereinafter referred to as PLA). The PLA has excellent heat processing properties compared to other biodegradable polymers, and thus has excellent moldability. In addition, it has excellent biodegradability in the body and is harmless to the human body, making it one of the most popular eco-friendly materials. The PLA can be manufactured by polymerizing lactic acid obtained from plants.

According to the present invention, the anchoring cone (20) and cap (25) can be manufactured through a conventional molding process, and in particular, can be manufactured through a 3-D printing process.

The 3-D (3-Dimension) printing process refers to the process of creating an actual three-dimensional shape based on an input 3-dimensional drawing, just like printing letters or pictures. Recently, the 3-D printing process has been widely used for the purpose of creating various models. This 3-D printing process can be largely divided into cutting and lamination types.

The anchoring cone (20) according to the present invention can be manufactured by the cutting or laminating 3-D printing process, and in particular, the FDM (Fused deposition modeling) method that manufactures and uses thermoplastic plastic in the form of filaments is most preferable.

The above FDM method is the most desirable because the manufacturing process is relatively simple and the printing speed is faster than other methods.

In order to manufacture the anchoring cone (20) and cap (25) by a 3-D printing process according to the FDM method as described above, PLA is most preferable because it has the best processability among biodegradable polymers, and in particular, excellent bed adhesion and interlayer adhesion and excellent dimensional stability.

As shown in (a) of Fig. 2, the anchoring cone (20) according to the present invention preferably has a cone shape with a diameter that increases from the front to the end and a hollow portion (35) that is empty inside.

In addition, since the front part of the anchoring cone (20) has a horizontally cut shape, the movement of the anchoring cone (20) can be easily restricted by the knot (30) described later.

According to the present invention, the size of the anchoring cone (20) can be appropriately adjusted depending on the body part where the suture is used and the type of drug to be filled.

That is, the weight of the anchoring cone (20) may be 20 to 120 g, and the diameter of the first through hole (60) provided in the front part of the anchoring cone (20) is preferably 0.5 to 1 mm.

And, as shown in (b) of Fig. 2, it may be preferable that the height ( h ) of the anchoring cone (20) is 5 to 10 mm, and the diameter ( w ) of the distal end is 3 to 10 mm.

In addition, since the hollow portion (35) inside the anchoring cone (20) according to the present invention is a space where the drug is filled, it may be preferable that the volume inside be 5 to 95 ㎕ and the total surface area be 20 to 120 mm ² so that the drug can be easily filled.

At this time, the drug filled in the anchoring cone (20) as described above may be at least one selected from the group consisting of a polypeptide, hyaluronic acid, ascorbic acid, and glutathione, which maintains moisture and elasticity of the skin and has an anti-aging function.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a type of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) that is an intermediate between chondroitin and heparin, and is a biopolymer widely found in the skin, muscles, cartilage, and blood vessels of the human body. HA is an important component for various cell proliferation and activation in the human body, and is known as a key element related to anti-aging that is reduced in the body with aging and accelerates aging. Recently, the demand for beauty-related products such as cosmetics, food, and pharmaceutical fillers has been rapidly increasing due to the confirmed effects of HA on skin regeneration, moisturizing, and maintaining elasticity to improve wrinkles.

Also, a polypeptide refers to a polymer of a smaller size than a protein and has a linear chain structure made up of amino acids. These polypeptides are known to have excellent wrinkle improvement effects and anti-aging effects on the skin by binding to collagen in the skin. The types of the polypeptides include, but are not limited to, collagen, gelatin, fibrin, casein, epidermal growth factor (EGF), alpha connexin C-terminal peptide, erythrocyte differentiation regulatory factor polypeptide, fibromodulin polypeptide, polypeptide fragment of recombinant thrombomodulin, anti-inflammatory peptides, etc.

In addition, glutathione is an antioxidant that has a tripeptide structure made up of three amino acids: glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine, and exhibits effects such as enhancing immunity and detoxification. Ascorbic acid refers to vitamin C, which is necessary for forming collagen in bones, cartilage, muscles, and blood vessels.

According to the present invention, the drug selected from the group consisting of the polypeptide, hyaluronic acid, ascorbic acid and glutathione may be in the form of a powder, gel or liquid when filled into the hollow portion (35).

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a medical suture (100) loaded with a drug according to the present invention may have a plurality of knots (30) formed on one side of the core filament (10) to limit the movement of the anchoring cone (20). That is, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a knot is formed in front of the anchoring cone (20), thereby limiting the movement of the anchoring cone (20) after the procedure and providing high skin fixation strength.

When the above medical suture (100) is pulled by an external force inside the skin tissue after the procedure, the anchoring cone (20) and the cap (25) move along the core filament (10). The movement of the anchoring cone (20) and the cap (25) is restricted by the knot (30) provided at the front part of the anchoring cone (20).

As described above, by restricting the movement of the anchoring cone (20) and the cap (25) by the knot (30), effective drug delivery is possible, and in particular, high skin fixation power of the anchoring cone (20) can be exhibited.

As described above, the medical suture (100) loaded with a drug according to the present invention has an excellent effect of delivering the drug into the body, and in particular, has an effect of enabling local delivery, since the drug is loaded into the hollow portion (35) of the anchoring cone (20). Accordingly, it has the advantages of excellent lifting effect and skin wrinkle removal effect. In addition, it exhibits high skin fixing power by the anchoring cone (20), and also has the effect of improving skin elasticity and skin tone by stimulating collagen deep in the skin.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the experimental examples illustrated in the drawings, these are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other experimental examples are possible from the present invention. In addition, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive, and the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

10: Core Filament
20 : Anchoring cone
25 : Cap
30 : Knot
35 : The Central Department
50 : Barb
60: 1st penetration hole
65: Second penetration hole
100 : Medical Sutures

Claims (7)

As a medical suture (100) loaded with a drug,
Core filament (10);
An anchoring cone (20) provided at a predetermined interval along the length direction of the core filament (10);
A cap (25) provided at the end of the anchoring cone (20); and
Including a knot (30) provided at the front part of the above anchoring cone (20);
A drug is loaded on one side of the above anchoring cone (20),
The above core filament (10) is fastened by penetrating the anchoring cone (20) and cap (25),
The diameter of the first through hole (60) of the anchoring cone (20) is 0.5 to 1 mm, the height ( h ) is 5 to 10 mm, the diameter ( w ) of the terminal part is 3 to 10 mm, the volume of the hollow part (35) in the anchoring cone (20) is 5 to 95 μl, and the total surface area is 20 to 120 mm ² .
The weight of the above anchoring cone (20) is 20 to 120 g,
A drug-loaded medical suture (100), characterized in that the diameter of the core filament (10) is 0.01 to 1.5 mm.
In claim 1,
A medical suture (100), characterized in that the drug is at least one selected from the group consisting of a polypeptide, hyaluronic acid, ascorbic acid and glutathione.
In claim 1,
A medical suture (100) loaded with a drug, characterized in that the above drug is filled in the hollow portion (35) of the anchoring cone (20).
In claim 1,
A medical suture (100) loaded with a drug, characterized in that the drug is in the form of powder, gel or liquid.
In claim 1,
A drug-loaded medical suture (100) characterized in that the core filament (10) is a monofilament or a multifilament.
In claim 1,
Medical suture (100) characterized in that the above core filament (10) is polydioxanone
In claim 1,
The above anchoring cone (20) and cap (25) are characterized by being made of polylactic acid, and are medical sutures (100).