U.S. patent application number 14/506038 was filed with the patent office on 2015-01-22 for blood vessel permeability-enhancement for the treatment of vascular diseases.
The applicant listed for this patent is Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc.. Invention is credited to Irina Astafieva, Dariush Davalian, Syed Faiyaz Ahmed Hossainy, Florian Niklas Ludwig, Stephen Pacetti, Kimchi Tran.
Application Number | 20150024039 14/506038 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44309504 |
Filed Date | 2015-01-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150024039 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Davalian; Dariush ; et
al. |
January 22, 2015 |
BLOOD VESSEL PERMEABILITY-ENHANCEMENT FOR THE TREATMENT OF VASCULAR
DISEASES
Abstract
This invention relates to methods of enhancing the permeability
of blood vessels to therapeutic agents.
Inventors: |
Davalian; Dariush; (San
Jose, CA) ; Pacetti; Stephen; (San Jose, CA) ;
Ludwig; Florian Niklas; (Hilversum, NL) ; Hossainy;
Syed Faiyaz Ahmed; (Hayward, CA) ; Astafieva;
Irina; (Palo Alto, CA) ; Tran; Kimchi;
(Milpitas, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc. |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
44309504 |
Appl. No.: |
14/506038 |
Filed: |
October 3, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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13079239 |
Apr 4, 2011 |
8870847 |
|
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14506038 |
|
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|
11998013 |
Nov 27, 2007 |
|
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13079239 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
424/450 ;
424/94.62; 514/26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61L 31/16 20130101;
A61M 25/104 20130101; A61L 2300/416 20130101; A61F 2/95 20130101;
A61L 2300/62 20130101; A61M 25/0084 20130101; A61K 9/0019 20130101;
A61L 29/16 20130101; A61M 2025/105 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
424/450 ;
424/94.62; 514/26 |
International
Class: |
A61K 9/00 20060101
A61K009/00 |
Claims
1. A method of treating a vascular disease, comprising: providing
an implantable medical device; advancing the implantable medical
device to a locale of interest in a vessel of a patient;
administering a permeability-enhancing composition from the
implantable medical device to the locale of interest, wherein: the
permeability-enhancing composition physiochemically interacts with
at least one component of endothelial cells or extracellular
matrix; and a therapeutic agent is administered as a component of
the permeability-enhancing composition or concomitantly with but
separately from the permeability-enhancing composition.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the permeability-enhancing
composition comprises a saponin, a semi-synthetic saponin, DS-1,
DS-1(R), DS-2 or QH-957.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the permeability-enhancing
composition comprises hyaluronidase, recombinant hyaluronidase or
rHuPH2O.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the implantable medical device
comprises a stent.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the therapeutic agent comprises a
particulate carrier.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the particulate carrier comprises
a nanoparticle, a micelle, a worm micelle, a liposome or a
polymersome.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the nanoparticle, micelle, worm
micelle, liposome or polymersome further comprises the
permeability-enhancing composition.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the permeability enhancing
composition independently comprises a separate particulate carrier
from that the therapeutic agent comprises, the particulate carrier
being independently selected from the group consisting of a
nanoparticle, a micelle, a worm micelle, a liposome or a
polymersome.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the nanoparticle, micelle, worm
micelle, liposome or polymersome further comprises a targeting
component disposed on its surface and, further, the
permeability-enhancing composition is likewise disposed on its
surface.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the nanoparticle, micelle, worm
micelle, liposome or polymersome further comprises a targeting
component disposed on its surface and, further, the
permeability-enhancing composition is likewise disposed on its
surface.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the locale of interest comprises
an atherosclerotic lesion, a restenotic lesion, a suspected
vulnerable plaque, a vulnerable plaque or a peripheral arterial
lesion.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of application Ser. No.
13/079,239, filed on 4 Apr. 2011 which, in turn, is a continuation
of application Ser. No. 11/998,013, filed 27 Nov. 2007, both of
which are incorporated by references as if fully set forth
herein.
FIELD
[0002] This application relates to the fields of chemistry,
material science, medical devices and medicine. In particular it
relates to a method of modulating the permeability of mammalian
vessel membranes with regard to the administration of therapeutic
agents.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In general, therapeutic agents for the treatment of various
diseases are administered in one of two modalities: systemic or
local. Systemic delivery involves the administration of a
therapeutic agent at a discrete location remote from the afflicted
locale, followed by dispersal of the agent throughout the patient's
body including, of course, to the target site or organ. In order to
insure that a therapeutically effective amount of the agent reaches
the afflicted site, it is usually necessary to administer an
initial dose substantially greater than the therapeutically
effective amount to account for dilution the agent undergoes as it
spreads throughout the body and loss of agent due to reaction with
bodily components such as enzymes. Systemic delivery is carried out
primarily in two ways: introduction of the therapeutic agent into
the digestive tract (enteral administration) or into the vascular
system (parenteral administration), either directly such as
injection into a vein or an artery or indirectly such as injection
into a muscle or into the bone marrow. Delivery by each of these
routes is strongly influenced by the so-called ADMET factors:
absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity. For
enteric administration, such factors as a compound's solubility,
its stability in the acidic environs of the stomach and its ability
to permeate the intestinal wall all affect the extent to which the
drug is absorbed and therefore its bioavailability. For parenteral
delivery factors such as enzymatic degradation, the
lipophilic/hydrophilic partitioning coefficient, protein binding,
etc. will affect the bioavailability of an agent.
[0004] Local delivery comprises administration of the therapeutic
agent at least proximally but preferably directly to the afflicted
locale. The ADMET factors tend to be less important than with
systemic administration since the agent is being delivered
essentially directly to the treatment site. Thus, the initial dose
can be at or very close to the therapeutically effective amount.
With time, some of the locally delivered therapeutic agent may
diffuse over a wider region but such is not the intent of localized
delivery and the concentration of the diffused agent will
ordinarily be sub-therapeutic, i.e., too low to have a beneficial
effect.
[0005] While diffusion of a therapeutic agent affects both systemic
and local delivery modalities, it is particularly troublesome with
regard to localized delivery where the amount of therapeutic agent
being delivered is often as close to the minimum effective
concentration as possible to avoid secondary problems such as
toxicity and other undesirable side effects. With regard to
vascular disorders, the therapeutic agent must usually traverse the
endothelium, a layer of cells that line the interior surface of all
blood vessels, and all or a portion of the media if the agent is
administered within the lumen of the vessel. If the agent is
administered exterior to the vessel then it must traverse the
periadventitia, adventitia, or a portion of the media to reach the
targeted site. The rate at which the therapeutic agent penetrates
into and ultimately traverses these tissue layers versus the rate
at which the therapeutic agent is diffused away from the locale of
interest determines how much of the agent must be administered in
the first place.
[0006] What is needed with regard to the local treatment of
vascular disorders is a method of increasing the rate of
therapeutic agent traverse of the
periadventitia/aventitia/media/endothelium so that less of the
agent is lost during the treatment, thereby requiring less agent
initially with a concomitant reduction in potential side effects
and possibly cost. The current invention provides such a
method.
SUMMARY
[0007] Thus, an aspect of this invention is a method of treating a
vascular disease, comprising: providing a delivery device;
advancing the delivery device to a locale of interest in a vessel
of a patient; administering a permeability-enhancing composition to
the locale of interest through the delivery device; and,
administering a therapeutic agent to the locale of interest through
the delivery device either as a component of the
permeability-enhancing composition or concomitantly with but
separately from the permeability-enhancing composition or
subsequent to administration of the permeability-enhancing
composition.
[0008] In an aspect of this invention administering the
permeability-enhancing composition comprises bathing the locale of
interest with a solution that is hyperosmolar in relation to
endothelial cells at the locale.
[0009] In an aspect of this invention, the hyperosmolar solution
comprises a solute selected from the group consisting of a
biocompatible salt, a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, a water
miscible biocompatible organic solvent, a water-soluble
biocompatible small organic molecule, a water-soluble protein, a
water-soluble peptide and a water-soluble biocompatible
surfactant.
[0010] In an aspect of this invention, the solute comprises one or
more compounds selected from the group consisting of water-soluble
glucose, mannose, fructose, sucrose, trehalose, biocompatible
halides, biocompatible phosphates, ethylene diamine tetraacetic
acid, taurocholic acid, benzalkonium chloride, capric acid,
melittin or an amino acid.
[0011] In an aspect of this invention, administering the
permeability-enhancing composition comprises using a composition
that physicochemically interacts with at least one component of
endothelial cells or extracellular matrix.
[0012] In an aspect of this invention, the permeability-enhancing
composition comprises a saponin, a semi-synthetic saponin, DS-1,
DS-1(R), DS-2 or QH-957.
[0013] In an aspect of this invention, the permeability-enhancing
composition comprises hyaluronidase, recombinant hyaluronidase or
rHuPH2O.
[0014] In an aspect of this invention, the permeability-enhancing
composition comprises ethanol, propylene glycol, glycerol, N-methyl
pyrrolidone, dimethylsulfoxide, xylene, nitric oxide or a nitric
oxide generator.
[0015] In an aspect of this invention, the method herein further
comprises a mechanical permeation enhancer.
[0016] In an aspect of this invention, the delivery device
comprises a catheter.
[0017] In an aspect of this invention, the catheter is selected
from the group consisting of a porous balloon catheter, a
double-wall porous balloon catheter, and infusion catheter and a
needle injection catheter.
[0018] In an aspect of this invention, the delivery device
comprises an implantable medical device.
[0019] In an aspect of this invention, the implantable medical
device comprises a stent.
[0020] In an aspect of this invention, the delivery device
comprises an angioplasty balloon.
[0021] In an aspect of this invention, the delivery device
comprises a hollow needle.
[0022] In an aspect of this invention, the therapeutic agent
comprises a particulate carrier.
[0023] In an aspect of this invention, the particulate carrier
comprises a nanoparticle, a micelle, a worm micelle, a liposome or
a polymerosome.
[0024] In an aspect of this invention, the nanoparticle, micelle,
worm micelle, liposome or polymerosome further comprises the
permeability-enhancing composition.
[0025] In an aspect of this invention, the permeability enhancing
composition independently comprises a separate nanoparticle,
micelle, worm micelle, liposome or polymerosome.
[0026] In an aspect of this invention, the nanoparticle, micelle,
worm micelle, liposome or polymerosome comprises a targeting
component disposed on its surface and, further, the
permeability-enhancing composition is likewise disposed on its
surface.
[0027] In an aspect of this invention, the locale of interest
comprises a site of an atherosclerotic lesion, a restenotic lesion,
a suspected vulnerable plaque, a vulnerable plaque or a peripheral
arterial lesion.
DESCRIPTION
[0028] Use of the singular herein includes the plural and visa
versa unless expressly stated to be otherwise. That is, "a" and
"the" is to be construed as referring to one or more of whatever
the word modifies. As a non-limiting example, "a lubricious
polymer" includes one such polymer, two polymers or, under the
right circumstances, even more polymers unless it is expressly
stated or is unambiguously obvious from the context that such is
not intended. Likewise, "a solvent" may refer to a single solvent
or a mixture of two or more solvents unless, again, it is expressly
stated or obvious from the context that such is not intended.
[0029] As used herein, a "delivery device" refers to any manner of
apparatus that is used or that may be used to reach a locale of
interest in a vessel in a patient's body. The device may be
transitory, that is, it may be a device that is inserted into a
patient's body for only so long as is necessary to administer a
permeability-enhancing composition and a therapeutic agent to a
patient or it may be an implantable medical device intended to
remain in a patient's body for longer than necessary to deliver the
two components of this method, possibly for as long as the
remaining lifetime of the patient. Intermediate between transitory
devices and implantable medical devices intended to remain in place
permanently are biodegradable implantable medical devices which
over time degrade to substances that can either be adsorbed into or
excreted by the body.
[0030] An example of a transitory delivery device is, without
limitation, as simple a device as a hollow needle that can be
inserted into a patient's body at or near a locale of interest in a
vessel and through which the components of the method herein can be
delivered. The needle may be inserted into the adventitia at the
locale of interest or it may be inserted directly into the vascular
lumen. An example, without limitation, of a transitory device is a
vascular catheter.
[0031] Another non-limiting example of a transitory delivery device
is a vascular catheter. A vascular catheter comprises a thin,
flexible tube with a manipulating means at one end, referred to as
the proximal end, which remains outside the patient's body, and an
operative device at or near the other end, called the distal end,
which is inserted into a patient's artery or vein. The catheter is
often introduced into a patient's vasculature at a point remote
from the locale of interest, e.g., into the femoral artery of the
leg where the target is the heart. The catheter is steered,
assisted by a guide wire than extends through a lumen in the
flexible tube, to the target site whereupon the guide wire is
withdrawn at which time the lumen may be used for the introduction
of therapeutic agents to the locale of interest.
[0032] An "implantable medical device" refers to any type of
appliance that is totally or partly introduced, surgically or
medically, into a patient's body or by medical intervention into a
natural orifice, and which is intended to remain there after the
procedure. As noted above, the duration of implantation may be
essentially permanent, i.e., intended to remain in place for the
remaining lifespan of the patient; until the device biodegrades; or
until it is physically removed.
[0033] Examples of implantable medical devices include, without
limitation, implantable cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators;
leads and electrodes for the preceding; implantable organ
stimulators such as nerve, bladder, sphincter and diaphragm
stimulators, cochlear implants; prostheses, grafts, stent-grafts,
artificial heart valves and cerebrospinal fluid shunts.
[0034] Further non-limiting examples of implantable medical devices
are vessel wraps and stents. A vessel wrap is a thin sheet of
flexible material, which may be fabric, polymer, metal, etc. that
is literally wrapped around the outside of a vessel and is in
contact with the outer surface. The wrap may be solid or it may be
formed in virtually any manner of desired pattern such as, without
limitation, a mesh, a ribbed polymeric structure or an embossed
metal sheet.
[0035] A "stent" refers generally to any device used to hold tissue
in place in a patient's body. Particularly useful stents, however,
are those used for the maintenance of the patency of a vessel in a
patient's body when the vessel is narrowed or closed due to
diseases including, without limitation, tumors (in, for example,
bile ducts, the esophagus, the trachea/bronchi, etc.), benign
pancreatic disease, coronary artery disease, carotid artery disease
and peripheral arterial disease such as atherosclerosis, restenosis
and vulnerable plaque. A stent can be used in, without limitation,
neuro, carotid, coronary, pulmonary, aorta, renal, biliary, iliac,
femoral and popliteal arteries as well as other peripheral
vasculatures. A stent can be used in the treatment or prevention of
diseases such as, without limitation, thrombosis, restenosis,
hemorrhage, vascular dissection or perforation, vascular aneurysm,
chronic total occlusion, claudication, anastomotic proliferation,
bile duct obstruction and ureter obstruction.
[0036] In addition to the above uses, stents, including in
particular those of this invention, may be employed for the
delivery of therapeutic agents to specific treatment sites in a
patient's body. In fact, therapeutic agent delivery may be the sole
purpose of the stent or the stent may be primarily intended for
another use such as those discussed above with drug delivery
providing an ancillary benefit. Any stent design currently known or
any that may be disclosed in the future that is directed at least
in part to the delivery of therapeutic agents to locales of
interest in a patient's body are within the scope of this
invention.
[0037] As used herein, a "locale of interest" refers to a location
within vessel of a patient that is the site of an atherosclerotic
lesion or a location in the vessel where an atherosclerotic lesion
may occur, a restenotic lesion or a location in the vessel where a
restenotic lesion may occur, a known or suspected site of
vulnerable plaque or a location in a peripheral vessel where a
peripheral arterial disease has manifested itself.
[0038] As used herein, a "vessel of a patient" refers to any of the
essentially tubular organ that transports blood in the mammalian
body including arteries, arterioles, veins, venules and
capillaries. Preferably at present the vessel of a patient refers
to an artery.
[0039] A "patient" refers to any species that might benefit from
treatment using the method herein but at present is preferably a
mammal and most preferably a human being.
[0040] As used herein, "administering a permeability-enhancing
composition" to a locale of interest refers to contacting the
composition with the endothelium at the locale of interest if the
delivery device is situated within the lumen of a vessel or with
the periadventitia or adventitia if the delivery device is situated
outside the vessel adjacent to a locale of interest situated within
the vessel. The permeability-enhancing composition must be in
contact with the endothelium, media, adventitia or (peri)adventitia
for a sufficient duration such that the composition has time to
have its intended effect, that is, to increase the permeability of
the tissue at that locale.
[0041] While it is understood that the method of this invention is
applicable to either the endothelium, media, the periadventitia or
the adventitia, it is presently preferred that it be applied to
permeability enhancement of endothelial tissue. Thus the remainder
of this disclosure will be directed to the endothelium but it is
understood that essentially the same technique will apply to the
outer tissues of blood vessels as well.
[0042] If the permeability-enhancing composition is intended to
increase permeability by creating a hyperosmolar or hypertonic
(q.v, below) environment at the locale of interest, the composition
may be administered by simply suffusing the locale for a period of
time before introducing a therapeutic agent to the site. If on the
other hand, the composition is one that reacts with the
constituents of the endothelial cells themselves or the
constituents of the extracellular matrix (EM), then the composition
may be administered much the same way as the therapeutic agent.
That is, a previously determined effective amount of the
composition is administered to the locale of interest either prior
to or concomitant with administration of the therapeutic agent.
[0043] As used herein, "bathing" the locale of interest refers to
supplying a sufficient amount of the hyperosmolar solution to the
locale of interest so as to maintain the osmotic imbalance at the
site for a sufficient duration for the efflux of water from the
cells to take place to an extent sufficient to render the region
between the cells, i.e., the region of the EM more penetrable to
the therapeutic agent or particulate carrier administered
concurrent with or subsequent to the bathing step. Since blood is
constantly flowing through the vasculature this may require a
constant stream of the hyperosmolar solution directed to the
endothelium at the locale of interest so as to create the osmotic
imbalance. It may be beneficial to temporarily block the vessel
either proximal to the locale of interest (as determined from the
direction of blood flow, the side closest to the heart being
proximal) or both proximal and distal to the locale of interest, in
this latter case thereby creating a compartment that can be flooded
with the hyperosmolar solution. In this latter instance a bolus of
the hyperosmolar may be administered.
[0044] As used herein, "administering a therapeutic agent to the
locale of interest" refers to contacting a therapeutically
effective amount of the therapeutic agent or particulate carrier
containing the therapeutic agent with the endothelium. While it may
be possible to contact the therapeutic agent with the
periadventitia, adventitia, or media and have it traverse the
additional tissue to reach the endothelium, at present it is
preferred that the therapeutic agent be administered from inside
the vessel, i.e., through the lumen of the vessel, such that it can
be placed in immediate intimate contact with the endothelium. A
"therapeutically effective amount" refers to that quantity of the
therapeutic agent that has a therapeutic beneficial effect on the
health and well-being of the patient. A therapeutic beneficial
effect on the health and well-being of a patient includes, but it
not limited to: (1) curing the disease; (2) slowing the progress of
the disease; (3) causing the disease to retrogress; or, (4)
alleviating one or more symptoms of the disease. As used herein, a
therapeutically effective amount includes a prophylactically
effective amount, which is that amount of the therapeutic agent
that has a prophylactic beneficial effect on the health and
well-being of the patient. A prophylactic beneficial effect on the
health and well-being of a patient includes, but is not limited to:
(1) preventing or delaying on-set of the disease in the first
place; (2) maintaining a disease at a retrogressed level once such
level has been achieved by a therapeutically effective amount of a
substance, which may be the same as or different from the substance
used in a prophylactically effective amount; or, (3) preventing or
delaying recurrence of the disease after a course of treatment with
a therapeutically effective amount of a substance, which may be the
same as or different from the substance used in a prophylactically
effective amount, has concluded.
[0045] As used herein, "permeability" refers to the degree to which
a therapeutic agent or particulate carrier containing a therapeutic
agent is able to traverse the endothelial layer and gain access to
the sub-structure within.
[0046] "Permeability-enhancing," as the term itself suggests,
refers to the ability of a composition to increase the ease with
which the therapeutic agent or particulate carrier crosses the
endothelium as measured by the percentage of an administered amount
that is found on the side of endothelium away from the lumen,
either totally or per unit time.
[0047] As used herein, a "permeability-enhancing composition"
refers to one or more substances, which may be neat or in solution,
which alone or in combination are capable of increasing the
permeability of the endothelium of a blood vessel. For the purposes
of this invention, being "capable of increasing the permeability of
the endothelium" may be as simple as increasing the solute
concentration outside the endothelial cells such that a osmotic
imbalance is created resulting in water effluxing out of the cells
thereby causing the cells to collapse or it may mean actually
reacting with a constituent of the endothelial cells or the EM.
[0048] For the purposes of this invention, permeability of the
endothelium can be increased by two mechanisms. One mechanism
involves creating a hyperosmotic, hyperosmolar or hypertonic (the
terms are interchangeable) environment at the locale of interest.
In a hyperosmotic environment, the solute concentration outside a
cell is higher than the solute concentration within the cell
resulting in the creation of an osmotic imbalance. Due to this
imbalance there will be a net flow of water from the lower
concentration environment to the higher concentration environment
as the system naturally attempts to reestablish an isotonic
condition where there is no net flow of water into or out of the
cells. In the hyperosmotic environment created by an embodiment of
this invention, water flows out of the cells causing the cells to
at least partially collapse, preferably not to the point of
permanently damaging the cells, thereby increasing the distance
between cells and stretching, at some points perhaps even pulling
apart, the EM. Therapeutic agents administered to the locale of
interest will then be able to more easily filter between the
endothelial cells and access the region beyond wherein lies the
actual target of the therapeutic agent.
[0049] The second means of increasing the permeability of the
endothelium involves physicochemical interaction between the
composition and components of the endothelial cells themselves or
between the composition and components of the EM. An example,
without limitation, of a composition that interacts with
endothelial cell components is the saponins.
[0050] Saponins are glycosides of plant origin. They contain either
a steroid, alkaloid steroid or triterpenoid aglycone to which one
or more sugar chains are attached. The sugars are usually glucose,
galactose, glucuronic acid, xylose or rhamnose although others are
known to occur in certain saponins. The saponins directly affect
cell permeability by reversibly interacting with the outer cell
membrane including forming pores therein. It has been reported that
it is the number of sugar side chains on a given saponin that most
influences its permeability-enhancing capabilities although
contradictory reports also exist. The different conclusions may be
the result of the particular type of cell used in the study. Since
the actual mode of action is not pertinent to this invention,
without being bound to any particular theory it appears that the
permeability enhancing capabilities of saponins may be related to a
combination of target membrane composition, the type of saponin
side chain(s) and the nature of the aglycone. In any event, those
skilled in the art will be able, based on this disclosure, to
select appropriate saponins for use in the method of this
invention.
[0051] Of the myriad known saponins, presently preferred for the
purposes of this invention are saponins extracted from Quillaja
saponaria, a member of the Rosaceae family. The Quillaja saponins
consist of a triterpene with sugar side chains on carbons 2 and 28.
Variation in the sugar side chain give rise to at least 50
different types of Quillaja saponins.
[0052] In addition to the naturally-occurring Quillaja saponins,
semi-synthetic derivatives can also be used in the methods of this
invention. As should be obvious given the diversity of structure in
the saponins themselves, the number of possible structures of
semi-synthetic saponins is legion and all such compounds are within
the scope of this invention. In particular, however, the
semi-synthetic saponins known as DS-1, DS-1(R), DS-2 and QH-957 are
presently preferred for use in the methods of this invention. DS-1
and DS-2 are the result of mild alkaline hydrolysis of acyl groups
on the saponin. DS-1 and DS-2 are more hydrophilic than the parent
compound. Reduction of an aldehyde group of DS-1 affords DS-1(R).
Removal of the fucose-containing oligosaccharide of DS-1 gives
QH-957.
[0053] An example of a composition that reacts with components of
the EM rather than components of the endothelial cells themselves
is hyaluronidase. The EM is composed of an interlocking mesh of
fibrous proteins and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). GAGs are
carbohydrate polymers that attach themselves to the fibrous
proteins of the EM to form proteoglycans. Among the proteoglycans
involved in EM formation are heparin sulfate, chondroitin sulfate
and keratan sulfate. The EM also contains non-proteoglycan
components, in particular hyaluronic acid or hyaluronan. Hyaluronan
is a non-sulfonated polysaccharide GAG consisting of alternating
residues of D-glucouronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine. It is
widely distributed throughout connective, endothelial and neural
tissues. Hyaluronan is one of the chief components of the EM, in
fact it as been estimated that a 150 lb human has roughly 15 grams
of hyaluronan in his/her body.
[0054] Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes hyaluronan, by
cleaving the glucosaminidic bond between C1 of the
acetylglucosamine and the C4 of glucouronic acid, the two
constituents of hyaluronic acid. This results in a temporary
decrease in the viscosity of the EM which facilitates the movement
of transudates and exudates such as therapeutic agents past the
endothelial layer.
[0055] Naturally-occurring hyaluronidases constitute a group of
neutral or acid active enzymes that occur throughout the animal
kingdom and that vary with respect to substrate specificity and
mechanisms of action. Of primary import to this invention are the
mammalian hyaluronidases (EC 3.2.1.35), which are
endo-.beta.-N-acetylhexoaminidases that afford tetrasaccharides and
hexasaccharides as the major end products of hydrolysis. The
hyaluronidases have both hydrolytic and transglycosidase activity
and can degrade hyaluronan and chrondroitin sulfates, another
constituent of the EM.
[0056] In addition to naturally-occurring hyaluronidase,
recombinant hyaluronidases that maintain the ability to cleave
hyaluronan, be it by the same mechanism or a different one, are
also within the contemplation of this invention. "Recombinant"
simply means that the hyaluronidase so-designated is created
(expressed) by an artificial gene, one that does not occur in
nature. Presently preferred is a recombinant human hyaluronidase
known as rHuPH2O, available from Halozyme Theraputics, Inc., San
Diego, Calif. PH-20 is a widely conserved mammalian
glycosylphosphatidyl-inositol-anchored spermatozoa surface protein
well-known for its hyalouronidase activity. Native human
hyaluronidase HuPH2O, is reported to be a 509 residue protein, a
truncated version (residues 36-482, inclusive) of which constitutes
the recombinant form, rHuPH2O.
[0057] As used herein, a "therapeutic agent" refers to, without
limitation, an anti-restenosis agent, an antiproliferative agent,
an anti-inflammatory agent, an antineoplastic, an antimitotic, an
antiplatelet, an anticoagulant, an antifibrin, an antithrombin, a
cytostatic agent, an antibiotic, an anti-allergic agent, an
anti-enzymatic agent, an angiogenic agent, a cyto-protective agent,
a cardioprotective agent, a proliferative agent, an ABC A1 agonist,
an antioxidant, or any combination thereof.
[0058] Examples of antiproliferative agents include, without
limitation, actinomycins, taxol, docetaxel, paclitaxel, rapamycin,
40-O-(3-hydroxy)propyl-rapamycin,
40-O-[2-(2-hydroxy)ethoxy]ethyl-rapamycin, or
40-O-tetrazole-rapamycin, 40-epi-(N1-tetrazolyl)-rapamycin,
everolimus, Biolimus A9 (Biosensors International, Singapore),
deforolimus, AP23572 (Ariad Pharmaceuticals), perfenidone and
derivatives, analogs, prodrugs, co-drugs and combinations of any of
the foregoing.
[0059] Examples of anti-inflammatory agents include both steroidal
and non-steroidal (NSAID) anti-inflammatory agents such as, without
limitation, clobetasol, alclofenac, alclometasone dipropionate,
algestone acetonide, alpha amylase, amcinafal, amcinafide, amfenac
sodium, amiprilose hydrochloride, anakinra, anirolac, anitrazafen,
apazone, balsalazide disodium, bendazac, benoxaprofen, benzydamine
hydrochloride, bromelains, broperamole, budesonide, carprofen,
cicloprofen, cintazone, cliprofen, clobetasol propionate,
clobetasone butyrate, clopirac, cloticasone propionate,
cormethasone acetate, cortodoxone, deflazacort, desonide,
desoximetasone, dexamethasone, dexamethasone dipropionate,
dexamethasone acetate, dexmethasone phosphate, momentasone,
cortisone, cortisone acetate, hydrocortisone, prednisone,
prednisone acetate, betamethasone, betamethasone acetate,
diclofenac potassium, diclofenac sodium, diflorasone diacetate,
diflumidone sodium, diflunisal, difluprednate, diftalone, dimethyl
sulfoxide, drocinonide, endrysone, enlimomab, enolicam sodium,
epirizole, etodolac, etofenamate, felbinac, fenamole, fenbufen,
fenclofenac, fenclorac, fendosal, fenpipalone, fentiazac,
flazalone, fluazacort, flufenamic acid, flumizole, flunisolide
acetate, flunixin, flunixin meglumine, fluocortin butyl,
fluorometholone acetate, fluquazone, flurbiprofen, fluretofen,
fluticasone propionate, furaprofen, furobufen, halcinonide,
halobetasol propionate, halopredone acetate, ibufenac, ibuprofen,
ibuprofen aluminum, ibuprofen piconol, ilonidap, indomethacin,
indomethacin sodium, indoprofen, indoxole, intrazole, isoflupredone
acetate, isoxepac, isoxicam, ketoprofen, lofemizole hydrochloride,
lomoxicam, loteprednol etabonate, meclofenamate sodium,
meclofenamic acid, meclorisone dibutyrate, mefenamic acid,
mesalamine, meseclazone, methylprednisolone suleptanate,
momiflumate, nabumetone, naproxen, naproxen sodium, naproxol,
nimazone, olsalazine sodium, orgotein, orpanoxin, oxaprozin,
oxyphenbutazone, paranyline hydrochloride, pentosan polysulfate
sodium, phenbutazone sodium glycerate, pirfenidone, piroxicam,
piroxicam cinnamate, piroxicam olamine, pirprofen, prednazate,
prifelone, prodolic acid, proquazone, proxazole, proxazole citrate,
rimexolone, romazarit, salcolex, salnacedin, salsalate,
sanguinarium chloride, seclazone, sermetacin, sudoxicam, sulindac,
suprofen, talmetacin, talniflumate, talosalate, tebufelone,
tenidap, tenidap sodium, tenoxicam, tesicam, tesimide, tetrydamine,
tiopinac, tixocortol pivalate, tolmetin, tolmetin sodium,
triclonide, triflumidate, zidometacin, zomepirac sodium, aspirin
(acetylsalicylic acid), salicylic acid, corticosteroids,
glucocorticoids, tacrolimus, pimecrolimus and derivatives, analogs,
prodrugs, co-drugs and combinations of any of the foregoing.
[0060] Examples of antineoplastics and antimitotics include,
without limitation, paclitaxel, docetaxel, methotrexate,
azathioprine, vincristine, vinblastine, fluorouracil, doxorubicin
hydrochloride, and mitomycin.
[0061] Examples of antiplatelet, anticoagulant, antifibrin, and
antithrombin drugs include, without limitation, sodium heparin, low
molecular weight heparins, heparinoids, hirudin, argatroban,
forskolin, vapiprost, prostacyclin, prostacyclin dextran,
D-phe-pro-arg-chloromethylketone, dipyridamole, glycoprotein
IIb/IIIa platelet membrane receptor antagonist antibody,
recombinant hirudin and thrombin, thrombin inhibitors such as
Angiomax a, calcium channel blockers such as nifedipine,
colchicine, fish oil (omega 3-fatty acid), histamine antagonists,
lovastatin, monoclonal antibodies such as those specific for
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) receptors, nitroprusside,
phosphodiesterase inhibitors, prostaglandin inhibitors, suramin,
serotonin blockers, steroids, thioprotease inhibitors,
triazolopyrimidine, nitric oxide or nitric oxide donors, super
oxide dismutases, super oxide dismutase mimetic,
4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (4-amino-TEMPO) and
derivatives, analogs, prodrugs, codrugs and combinations
thereof.
[0062] Examples of cytostatic or antiproliferative agents include,
without limitation, angiopeptin, angiotensin converting enzyme
inhibitors such as captopril, cilazapril or lisinopril, calcium
channel blockers such as nifedipine; colchicine, fibroblast growth
factor (FGF) antagonists; fish oil (.omega.-3-fatty acid);
histamine antagonists; lovastatin, monoclonal antibodies such as,
without limitation, those specific for Platelet-Derived Growth
Factor (PDGF) receptors; nitroprusside, phosphodiesterase
inhibitors, prostaglandin inhibitors, suramin, serotonin blockers,
steroids, thioprotease inhibitors, triazolopyrimidine (a PDGF
antagonist) and nitric oxide.
[0063] Examples of antiallergic agents include, without limitation,
permirolast potassium.
[0064] Other compounds that may be used as bioactive agents of this
invention include, without limitation, alpha-interferon,
genetically engineered endothelial cells, dexamethasone, antisense
molecules which bind to complementary DNA to inhibit transcription,
and ribozymes, antibodies, receptor ligands, enzymes, adhesion
peptides, blood clotting factors, inhibitors or clot dissolving
agents such as streptokinase and tissue plasminogen activator,
antigens for immunization, hormones and growth factors,
oligonucleotides such as antisense oligonucleotides and ribozymes
and retroviral vectors for use in gene therapy; antiviral agents;
analgesics and analgesic combinations; anorexics; antihelmintics;
antiarthritics, antiasthmatic agents; anticonvulsants;
antidepressants; antidiuretic agents; antidiarrheals;
antihistamines; antimigrain preparations; antinauseants;
antiparkinsonism drugs; antipruritics; antipsychotics;
antipyretics; antispasmodics; anticholinergics; sympathomimetics;
xanthine derivatives; cardiovascular preparations including calcium
channel blockers and beta-blockers such as pindolol and
antiarrhythmics; antihypertensives; diuretics; vasodilators
including general coronary; peripheral and cerebral; central
nervous system stimulants; cough and cold preparations, including
decongestants; hypnotics; immunosuppressives; muscle relaxants;
parasympatholytics; psychostimulants; sedatives; tranquilizers;
naturally derived or genetically engineered lipoproteins; and
derivatives, analogs, prodrugs, codrugs and combinations of any of
the foregoing.
[0065] Other bioactive agents include a corticosteroid, everolimus,
zotarolimus, sirolimus, and derivatives thereof, paclitaxel,
biolimus A9, a bisphosphonate, ApoA1, a mutated ApoA1, ApoA1
milano, an ApoA1 mimetic peptide, an ABC A1 agonist, an
anti-inflammatory agent, an anti-proliferative agent, an
anti-angiogenic agent, a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor and a
tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase.
[0066] As used herein, "biocompatible" refers to a substance that,
both in its native pure state and as any decomposition products
that might be generated from it, is not, or at least is minimally,
toxic to living tissue; does not, or at least minimally and
reparably, injure(s) living tissue; and/or does not, or at least
minimally and/or controllably, cause(s) an immunological reaction
in living tissue. With regard to salts, both the cation and anion
must be biocompatible. Examples of generally biocompatible cations
are, without limitation, sodium (Na.sup.+), potassium (K.sup.+),
calcium (Ca.sup.+), magnesium (Mg.sup.++), iron (Fe.sup.+++) and
ammonium (NH.sub.4.sup.+). Others are well-known to those skilled
in the art.
[0067] As used herein, "water-miscible" refers to an organic liquid
that combines with water to form a clear, homogenous mixture at the
concentrations required for the purposes of this invention. That
amount will be easily determinable by those skilled in the art
based on the disclosures herein with regard to the teaching that
the desired result is a hyperosmotic environment in the vicinity of
the endothelium.
[0068] As used herein, "water-soluble" refers to a solid, which may
be inorganic or organic, that forms a clear, homogenous mixture
when place in water at the concentrations required for the purposes
of this invention.
[0069] "Homogenous" merely means that the resultant mixture is
sufficiently uniform that a sample taken from any point in the
mixture has the same composition as a sample taken from any other
point in the mixture.
[0070] As used herein, an "amino acid" refers to any organic acid,
i.e., a molecule with a --COOH functional group also containing an
.alpha.-amino (--NH.sub.2) group; however at present it is
preferred that the amino acids be selected from the group commonly
known as the standard amino acids or sometimes the proteinogenic
amino acids because they are encoded by the normal genetic code.
There currently are 20 standard amino acids: alanine, arginine,
asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine,
glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenyl
alanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine and
valine. Relatively recently selenoadenine has been found to be
incorporated into a number of proteins and is included with the
above as a useful amino acid for the purposes of this invention. In
naturally-occurring biological proteins, these amino acids exist
primarily as l-enantiomers but for the purposes of this invention
they may be used as their l- or d-enantiomers or as racemic
mixtures.
[0071] As used herein a "peptide" refers a short polymer formed by
the linking together of .alpha.-amino acids through the formation
of amide bonds, sometimes referred to as peptide bonds. A protein,
on the other hand, refers to a substantially longer polymer
comprised of poly(peptides). There is no exact dividing line
between a peptide and a protein and such is not essential to this
invention. Therefore, for the purposes of this invention a peptide
refers to a poly(amino acid) of up to 50 amino acids while above 50
amino acids the compound will be considered a protein.
[0072] As used herein, a "surfactant" refers to an amphiphilic
(having both hydrophobic groups (their "tails") and hydrophilic
groups (their "heads")) organic molecule that is soluble both in
organic solvents and in water. They operate by reducing the surface
tension between two materials, which may be liquid-gas,
liquid-liquid or liquid-solid. For the purposes of the method of
this invention their primary purpose is creating a hyperosmotic
environment in the vicinity of the endothelium and secondarily to
further ease the transfer of therapeutic agents or particulate
carriers through the endothelium by reducing surface tensions
between the agent/particle and the components of the EM.
[0073] As used herein, "physiochemically interacting" refers to the
situation where a permeability-enhancing composition actually
reacts with and changes a component of the EM or an endothelial
cell as opposed to the situation where the composition merely
creates a hyperosmolar condition in the vicinity of the endothelium
at the locale of interest. Examples of such physicochemical
interactions are described above with regard to saponins
(physiochemically interact with endothelial cell outer membrane)
and rHuPH2O (physiochemically interact with hyaluronan). Other such
permeability-enhancing compositions useful in the method herein
will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the
disclosure herein and are within the scope of this invention.
[0074] As used herein, a "vascular disease" refers to a disease of
the blood vessels, primarily arteries and veins, which transport
blood to and from the heart, brain and peripheral organs such as,
without limitation, the arms, legs, kidneys and liver. In
particular "vascular disease" refers to the coronary arterial
system, the carotid arterial system and the peripheral arterial
system. The disease that may be treated is any that is amenable to
treatment with a therapeutic agent, either as the sole treatment
protocol or as an adjunct to other procedures such as surgical
intervention. The disease may be, without limitation,
atherosclerosis, vulnerable plaque, restenosis or peripheral
arterial disease.
[0075] "Atherosclerosis" or an "atherosclerotic lesion" refers to
the depositing of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste
products, calcium and fibrin on the inner lining or intima of an
artery. Smooth muscle cell proliferation and lipid accumulation
accompany the deposition process. In addition, inflammatory
substances that tend to migrate to atherosclerotic regions of an
artery are thought to exacerbate the condition. The result of the
accumulation of substances on the intima is the formation of
fibrous (atheromatous) plaques that occlude the lumen of the
artery, a process called stenosis. When the stenosis becomes severe
enough, the blood supply to the organ supplied by the particular
artery is depleted resulting is strokes, if the afflicted artery is
a carotid artery, heart attack if the artery is a coronary artery
or loss of organ function if the artery is peripheral.
[0076] "Restenosis" or a "restenotic lesion" refers to the
re-narrowing or blockage of an artery at or near the where
angioplasty or other surgical procedure was previously performed to
remove a stenosis. It is usually due to smooth muscle cell
proliferation at times accompanied by thrombosis. Prior to the
advent of implantable stents to maintain the patency of vessels
opened by angioplasty, restenosis occurred in 40-50% of patients
within 3 to 6 months of undergoing the procedure. Post-angioplasty
restenosis before stents was due primarily to neointimal
hyperplasia and vasospasm, with smaller rates of dissection and
thrombosis or blood-clotting at the site of the procedure. Stent
placement essentially eliminates vasospasm and dissections.
However, the stented sites are still susceptible to restenosis due
to neointimal hyperplasia and abnormal tissue growth at the site of
implantation. While the use of IIb-IIIa anti-platelet drugs such as
abciximab and epifabatide, which are anti-thrombotic, reduced the
occurrence of post-procedure clotting with stents (although stent
placement itself can initiate thrombosis. Restenosis tends also to
occur at 3 to 6 months after stent placement, but it is not reduced
by the use of anti-clotting drugs. Thus, alternative therapies are
continuously being sought to mitigate, preferably eliminate, this
type of restenosis. Drug eluting stents (DES) which release a
variety of therapeutic agents at the site of stent placement have
been in use for some time and it is to improved drug-delivery of
DESs that this invention is at least in part directed.
[0077] "Vulnerable plaque" refers to an atheromatous plaque that
has the potential of causing a thrombotic event and is usually
characterized by a very thin wall separating a lipid filled,
necrotic core from the lumen of an artery. The thinness of the wall
renders the plaque susceptible to rupture. When the plaque
ruptures, the inner core of lipid-rich plaque is exposed to blood
where it has the potential of causing a fatal thrombotic event
through adhesion and activation of platelets and plasma proteins to
components of the exposed plaque.
[0078] The phenomenon of "vulnerable plaque" has created new
challenges in recent years for the treatment of heart disease.
Unlike occlusive plaques that impede blood flow, vulnerable plaque
develops within the arterial walls, but it often does so without
the characteristic substantial narrowing of the arterial lumen
which produces symptoms. As such, conventional methods for
detecting heart disease, such as an angiogram, may not detect the
presence of vulnerable plaque in the arterial wall. After death, an
autopsy can reveal the ruptured plaque in the arterial wall.
However, the pre-rupture narrowing of these plaques cannot
typically be seen with commonly available medical imaging. Thus,
for the purposes of this invention, it may be beneficial to treat a
locale of interest where a vulnerable plaque is suspected to be
present based on the symptomology at the locale even though the
plaque has not been expressly observed.
[0079] The intrinsic histological features that may characterize a
vulnerable plaque include increased lipid content, increased
macrophage, foam cell and T lymphocyte content, and reduced
collagen and smooth muscle cell (SMC) content. This fibroatheroma
type of vulnerable plaque is often referred to as "soft," having a
large lipid pool of lipoproteins surrounded by a fibrous cap. The
fibrous cap contains mostly collagen, whose reduced concentration
combined with macrophage derived enzymatic degradation can cause
the fibrous cap of these lesions to rupture under unpredictable
circumstances. When ruptured, the lipid core contents, thought to
include tissue factor, contact the arterial bloodstream, causing a
blood clot to form that can completely block the artery resulting
in an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event. This type of
atherosclerosis is coined "vulnerable" because of unpredictable
tendency of the plaque to rupture. It is thought that hemodynamic
and cardiac forces, which yield circumferential stress, shear
stress, and flexion stress, may cause disruption of a fibroatheroma
type of vulnerable plaque. These forces may rise as the result of
simple movements, such as getting out of bed in the morning, in
addition to in vivo forces related to blood flow and the beating of
the heart. It is thought that plaque vulnerability in fibroatheroma
types is determined primarily by factors which include: (1) size
and consistency of the lipid core; (2) thickness of the fibrous cap
covering the lipid core; and (3) inflammation and repair within the
fibrous cap.
[0080] Peripheral vascular diseases are generally caused by
structural changes in blood vessels caused by such conditions as
inflammation, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and tissue damage. A subset
of peripheral vascular disease is peripheral artery disease (PAD)
or equivalently herein a peripheral arterial lesion. PAD is a
condition that is similar to carotid and coronary artery disease in
that it is caused by the buildup of fatty deposits on the lining or
intima of the artery walls. Just as blockage of the carotid artery
restricts blood flow to the brain and blockage of the coronary
artery restricts blood flow to the heart, blockage of the
peripheral arteries can lead to restricted blood flow to the
kidneys, stomach, arms, legs and feet.
[0081] As used herein, "late stent thrombosis" refers to the
formation of blood clots in the vicinity of an implanted stent long
after--months, even years--the stent was in place. It has been
hypothesized that the formation of blood clots may be due to
delayed healing resulting from the use of cytostatic drugs.
[0082] As used herein "hollow needle" simply refers generally to
the well-known thin, elongate, tubular device having a tapered
point that is used to inject therapeutic agents into various parts
of the body including without limitation subcutaneously although
the shape of the needle itself for the purposes of this invention
may be configured in ways that are not usually seen with regard to
syringes. Such alternate configurations are well-known to those
skilled in the art.
[0083] As used herein, a "particulate carrier" refers to a
biocompatible, generally non-therapeutic substance within which a
therapeutic agent and/or a permeability-enhancing composition can
be encapsulated or to the surface of which either or both may be
adhered. Examples of particulate carriers useful for the purposes
of this invention are, without limitation, nanoparticles, micelles,
worm micelles, liposomes and polymersomes.
[0084] As used herein, a "nanoparticle" refers to a solid particle
having as its largest trans-sectional, i.e., as measured through
the particle as opposed to along its surface, dimension of no
greater than 500 nanometers, preferably 250 nanometers and most
preferably at present no greater than 200 nanometers. The solid can
have an desired shape although substantially spherical particles
are well-known in the art, are readily prepared and are presently
preferred. By "substantially spherical" is meant that the particles
need not have a surface that mimics a table tennis ball, i.e.,
virtually perfectly spherical but rather may by odd-shaped but
would be considered generally "round" by one of skill in the art.
The nanoparticle may be constructed of one or more biocompatible
substances and may be porous so as to permit elution of a
therapeutic substance embedded in it or may be biodegradable such
that as it degrades the therapeutic substance is released into the
environment.
[0085] A micelle is a spherical colloidal nanoparticle spontaneous
formed by many amphiphilic molecules in an aqueous medium when the
Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC) is exceeded. Amphiphilic
molecules have two distinct components, differing in their affinity
for a solute, most particularly water. The part of the molecule
that has an affinity for water, a polar solute, is said to be
hydrophilic. The part of the molecule that has an affinity for
non-polar solutes such as hydrocarbons is said to be hydrophobic.
When amphiphilic molecules are placed in water, the hydrophilic
moiety seeks to interact with the water while the hydrophobic
moiety seeks to avoid the water. To accomplish this, the
hydrophilic moiety remains in the water while the hydrophobic
moiety is held above the surface of the water in the air or in a
non-polar, non-miscible liquid floating on the water. The presence
of this layer of molecules at the water's surface disrupts the
cohesive energy at the surface and lowers surface tension.
Amphiphilic molecules that have this effect are known as
"surfactants." Only so many surfactant molecules can align as just
described at the water/air or water/hydrocarbon interface. When the
interface becomes so crowded with surfactant molecules that no more
can fit in, i.e., when the CMC is reached, any remaining surfactant
molecules will form into spheres with the hydrophilic ends of the
molecules facing out, that is, in contact with the water forming
the micelle corona and with the hydrophobic "tails" facing toward
the center of the of the sphere. Therapeutic agents suspended in
the aqueous medium can be entrapped and solubilized in the
hydrophobic center of micelles which can result in an increase in
the bioavailability as well as improving the stability in
biological surroundings, improving the pharmacokinetics and
possibly decreasing the toxicity of the therapeutic agent. In
addition because of their nanoscale size, generally from about 5 nm
to about 50 nm, micelles have been shown to exhibit spontaneous
accumulation in pathological areas with leaky vasculature and
impaired lymphatic drainage, a phenomenon known as the Enhanced
Permeability and Retention or EPR effect.
[0086] The problem with micelles formed from relatively low
molecular weight surfactants is that their CMC is usually quite
high so that the formed micelles dissociate rather rapidly upon
dilution, i.e., the surfactant molecules dissolve, and the
concentration of micelles drops with the resulting precipitation of
the therapeutic agent. Fortunately, this short-coming can be
avoided by using lipids with a long fatty acid chain or two fatty
acid chains, specifically phospholipids and sphingolipids, or
polymers, specifically block copolymers to form the micelles.
[0087] Polymeric micelles have been prepared that exhibit CMCs as
low as 10.sup.-6 M (molar). Thus, they tend to be very stable while
at the same time showing the same beneficial characteristics as
surfactant micelles. Since micelles are nano-scale particles, they
may be administered using the porous balloon discussed above as
well as in polymeric matrices. Examples of micelle-forming polymers
are, without limitation, methoxy poly(ethylene
glycol)-b-poly(.epsilon.-caprolactone), conjugates of poly(ethylene
glycol) with phosphatidylethanolamine, poly(ethylene
glycol)-b-polyesters, poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-aminoacids),
poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-bl-poly(orthoesters), poly(N-vinyl
pyrrolidone)-b-polyanhydrides and
poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-b-poly(alkyl acrylates).
[0088] In addition to the classical spherical micelles described
above, therapeutic agents may be delivered using the methods of
this invention in compositions comprising synthetic worm micelles.
Worm micelles, as the name suggests, are cylindrical in shape
rather than spherical. They are prepared by varying the weight
fraction of the hydrophilic polymer block to the total block
copolymer molecular weight in the hydrophilic polymer-b-hydrophobic
polymer structure discussed above for preparing spherical micelles.
Worm micelles have the potential advantage of not only being
bio-inert and stable as are spherical polymeric micelles but also
of being flexible. Polyethylene oxide has been used extensively to
create worm micelles with a number of hydrophobic polymers such as,
without limitation, poly(lactic acid),
poly(.epsilon.-caprolactone), poly(ethylethylene) and
poly(butadiene). A representative description of worm micelle
formation, characterization and drug loading can be found in Kim,
Y., et al., Nanotechnology, 2005, 16:S484-S491. The techniques
described there as well as any other that is currently known or may
become known in the future may be used in the regional delivery
method of this invention.
[0089] Somewhat more complex than micelles but likewise useful in
the method of this invention are liposomes, particles comprised of
a phospholipid bilayer that encloses an air-filled or hydrophilic
liquid core.
[0090] Phospholipids are molecules that have two primary regions, a
hydrophilic head region comprised of a phosphate of an organic
molecule and one or more hydrophobic fatty acid tails. In
particular, naturally-occurring phospholipids have a hydrophilic
region comprised of choline, glycerol and a phosphate and two
hydrophobic regions comprised of fatty acid. When phospholipids are
placed in an aqueous environment, the hydrophilic heads come
together in a linear configuration with their hydrophobic tails
aligned essentially parallel to one another. A second line of
molecules then aligns tail-to-tail with the first line as the
hydrophobic tails attempt to avoid the aqueous environment. To
achieve maximum avoidance of contact with the aqueous environment,
i.e., at the edges of the bilayers, while at the same time
minimizing the surface area to volume ratio and thereby achieve a
minimal energy conformation, the two lines of phospholipids, know
as a phospholipid bilayer or a lamella, converge into a sphere and
in doing so entrap some of the aqueous medium, and whatever may be
dissolved or suspended in it, in the core of the sphere. Examples
of phospholipids that may be used to create liposomes are, without
limitation, 1,2-dimyristroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine,
1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine,
1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine,
1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine,
1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine,
1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate monosodium salt,
1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phosphor-rac-(1-glycerol)] sodium
salt, 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-L-serine] sodium salt,
1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-glutaryl sodium
salt and 1,1',2,2'-tetramyristoyl cardiolipin ammonium salt.
[0091] Liposomes may be unilamellar, composed of a single bilayer,
or they may be multilamellar, composed of two or more concentric
bilayers. Liposomes range from about 20-100 nm diameter for small
unilamellar vesicles (SUVs), about 100-5000 nm for large
multilamellar vesicles and ultimately to about 100 microns for
giant multilamellar vesicles (GMVs). LMVs form spontaneously upon
hydration with agitation of dry lipid films/cakes which are
generally formed by dissolving a lipid in an organic solvent,
coating a vessel wall with the solution and evaporating the
solvent. Energy is then applied to convert the LMVs to SUVs, LUVs,
etc. The energy can be in the form of, without limitation,
sonication, high pressure, elevated temperatures and extrusion to
provide smaller single and multi-lamellar vesicles. During this
process some of the aqueous medium is entrapped in the vesicle.
Generally, however, the fraction of total solute and therefore the
amount of therapeutic agent entrapped tends to be rather low,
typically in the range of a few percent. Recently, however,
liposome preparation by emulsion templating (Pautot, et al.,
Langmuir, 2003, 19:2870) has been shown to result in the entrapment
of virtually 100% of aqueous solute. Emulsion templating comprises,
in brief, the preparation of a water-in-oil emulsion stabilized by
a lipid, layering of the emulsion onto an aqueous phase,
centrifugation of the water/oil droplets into the water phase and
removal of the oil phase to give a dispersion of unilamellar
liposomes. This method can be used to make asymmetric liposomes in
which the inner and outer monolayers of the single bilayer contain
different lipids. Liposomes comprising phospho- and/or
sphingolipids may be used to deliver hydrophilic (water-soluble) or
precipitated therapeutic compounds encapsulated within the inner
liposomal volume and/or to deliver hydrophobic therapeutic agents
dispersed within the hydrophobic core of the bilayer membrane.
[0092] It has been reported that large unilamellar liposomes alone,
that is, absent of any additional therapeutic agent, when
administered in large amounts intravenously may stimulate reverse
cholesterol transport and may have anti-atherogenic effects similar
to that of HDL. Williams, K. J., et al., Arterioscler. Thromb.
Vasc. Biol., 2000, 20:1033-39. While further evaluation is
necessary, if such is proven to be the case, administration of
large liposomes without added therapeutic agent using the delivery
interface of this invention may provide a beneficial effect on
patients known or suspected to be afflicted with a vascular
disease.
[0093] The diblock copolymers discussed above with regard to
micelle formation can be further modified to form bilayer
structures similar to liposomes. The structures are referred to as
polymersomes. Depending on the length and chemical nature of the
polymers in the diblock copolymer, polymersomes can be
substantially more robust that liposomes. In addition, the ability
to control completely the chemical nature of each block of the
diblock copolymer permits tuning of the polymersome's composition
to fit the desired application. For example, membrane thickness can
be controlled by varying the degree of polymerization of the
individual blocks. Adjusting the glass transition temperatures of
the blocks will affect the fluidity and therefore the permeability
of the membrane. Even the mechanism of release can be modified by
altering the nature of the polymers.
[0094] Polymersomes can be prepared in the same manner as
liposomes. That is, a film of the diblock copolymer can be formed
by dissolving the copolymer in an organic solvent, applying a film
of the copolymer-containing solvent to a vessel surface, removing
the solvent to leave a film of the copolymer and then hydrating the
film. This procedure, however, tends to result in a polydisperse
population of micelles, worm micelles and vesicles of varying
sizes. Polymersomes can also be prepared by dissolving the diblock
copolymer in a solvent and then adding a poor solvent for one of
the blocks, which will result in the spontaneous formation of
polymersomes.
[0095] As with liposomes, polymersomes can be used to encapsulate
therapeutic agents by including the therapeutic agent in the water
used to rehydrate the copolymer film. Polymersomes can also be
force-loaded by osmotically driving the therapeutic agent into the
core of the vesicle. Also as with liposomes, the loading efficiency
is generally low. Recently, however, a technique has been reported
that provides polymersomes of relative monodispersivity and high
loading efficiency; (generation of polymersomes from double
emulsions. Lorenceau, et al., Langmuir, 2005, 21:9183-86). (is this
the cite?) The technique involves the use of microfluidic
technology to generate double emulsions consisting of water
droplets surrounded by a layer of organic solvent. These
droplet-in-a-drop structures are then dispersed in a continuous
water phase. The diblock copolymer is dissolved in the organic
solvent and self-assembles into proto-polymersomes on the
concentric interfaces of the double emulsion. The actual
polymersomes are formed by completely evaporating the organic
solvent from the shell. By this procedure the size of the
polymersomes can be finely controlled and, in addition, the ability
to maintain complete separation of the internal fluids from the
external fluid throughout the process allows extremely efficient
encapsulation.
[0096] When it is stated that a permeability-enhancing composition
"independently comprises a separate" particulate carrier from that
comprising a therapeutic agent, what is meant is that the
permeability-enhancing composition not only is encapsulated in a
separate particulate carrier but that carrier may be different from
that containing the therapeutic agent. For example, without
limitation, the therapeutic agent may be encapsulated in a liposome
while the permeability-enhancing composition may be encapsulated
within, or adhered to the surface of, a nanoparticle, a micelle, a
worm micelle or a polymersome.
[0097] As used herein, a "targeting component" refers to a
molecular entity that has a particular affinity for another
molecular entity such that if the second entity is present at a
locale of interest, the first entity, when it encounters the second
entity, will interact with the second entity and thereupon be
immobilized at the locale. An example of targeting is the affinity
of an antibody for an antigen. If a particular antigen is
responsible for the diseased condition of a locale of interest and
therefore is present at the locale, it would be possible to bind a
therapeutic agent or a particular carrier to an antibody to that
antigen in such a manner that the binding affinity of the antibody
for the antigen is not affected and then to administer the carrier
antibody to the patient. When the antibody encounters the antigen,
it will bind to the antigen and be immobilized. The therapeutic
agent can then interact with the antigen. Another example of
targeting is the affinity of a ligand for a receptor expressed on a
cell's surface. If the receptor is unique to the locale of interest
due, for instance, to its relationship to the disease at the
locale, a highly localized, disease specific treatment may be
possible. Specific examples of such targeting entities include,
without limitation, are antibodies to CD34, RGD, YIGSR, peptides
and antibodies to IIbIIIa, heparin, hyaluronic acid, laminin,
collagen, ICAM-1, ICAM-2, ICAM-3, fibrinogen, fibronectin,
vitronectin, thrombospondin, osteopontin, integrins, VCAM-1, N-CAM,
PECAM-1, IgCAM, folate, oligonucleotide aptamers, selectins, and
cadherins. Other targeting entities will be apparent to those
skilled in the art based on this disclosure; all such targeting
entities are within the scope of this invention.
[0098] Nitric oxide (chemical formula NO) is a gaseous signaling
molecule that plays a role in a host of biological processes. Also
known as "endothelium-derived relaxing factor," NO is used by the
endothelium lining of blood vessels to signal surrounding smooth
muscle cells to relax, causing the vessel to dilate. As a result of
this dilation, the cells of the endothelium are pulled away from
one another and the EM between the cells is stretched and rendered
more permeable. Thus NO may be used to accomplish an objective of
this invention, enhanced permeation of the endothelium.
[0099] As used herein, a "nitric oxide generator" refers to a
molecule that under physiological conditions releases NO. Examples
of in vivo NO generators include, without limitation,
S-nitrosocysteine, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine and sodium
nitroprusside.
[0100] As used herein, a "mechanical permeation enhancer" refers to
a device that when operationally directed to the endothelium at the
locale of interest causes an increase in the permeability of the
endothelium at that site. Examples of mechanical permeation
enhancing means include, without limitation, phonophoresis,
sonophoresis, low intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation (LIPUS),
iontophoresis and pressure pulse generation.
[0101] While the current invention has been described with regard
to certain embodiments it is understood that those skilled in the
art will, based on this disclosure, be able to devise, without
undue experimentation, other embodiments not expressly set forth
herein. All such embodiments are nevertheless within the scope of
this invention.
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