Surgical suture materials with porous sheaths for drug delivery

Abstract

Disclosed herein are surgical suture materials that facilitate the sustained delivery of releasable components. The suture materials are processed by the disclosed methods to create a layer of pores extending inward from the outer surface of the suture. Particularly, the surgical suture materials are swollen in a calcium-ion containing solution, then freeze-dried to create pores which can be filled with a releasable component for ultimate delivery to the tissue. In one particular embodiment, the suture has an outer sheath that defines a lumen. Elongated filaments extend through the lumen. This suture embodiment is processed by the disclosed methods to yield a surgical suture material with a porous outer sheath. The pores enable efficient loading of a releasable component into the lumen, facilitating sustained delivery of the releasable component from the suture. The suture maintains its mechanical integrity despite the introduction of pores due to coordination bonds formed between the calcium ions of the swelling solution and carbonyl oxygen atoms of the polymer chains of the surgical suture material.