IMPLANT HAVING A COATING CONTAINING CHOLESTEROL OR CHOLESTEROL ESTER

Abstract

A coated implant and a method of use of cholesterol or a cholesterol ester. The implant has a coating which contains one or more components selected from the group of cholesterol and cholesterol esters.

Description

EXAMPLES

Example 1

Coating of a Biodegradable Stent

A main body of the stent to be coated comprised the biodegradable magnesium alloy WE43.

At room temperature, a solution of 0.2 g cholesterol and 0.2 g alpha-tocopherol was prepared in 3 ml cyclohexane. The stent was immersed in the prepared solution, removed again, and dried at room temperature.

Coated stents were implanted in pigs. An explantation was performed after 35 days. Primary histological evaluations showed that the extent of the restenosis was significantly reduced in relation to uncoated stents.

Example 2

Stent Coating Using PIMECROLIMUS™

A main body of the stent to be coated comprised the biodegradable magnesium alloy WE43.

At room temperature, a solution of 0.3 g cholesterol, 0.1 g linoleic acid, and 0.1 g PIMECROLIMUS™ was prepared in 12 ml chloroform. The stent was immersed in the prepared solution, removed again, and dried at room temperature.

All patents, applications and publications referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Claims

1. An implant having a coating containing one or more components selected from the group consisting of cholesterol and cholesterol esters.

2. The implant of claim 1, wherein the implant has a main body made of a biocorrodible metallic alloy whose external surface at least regionally carries the coating.

3. The implant of claim 2, wherein the biocorrodible metallic alloy is a magnesium alloy.

4. The implant of claim 1, wherein the coating additionally contains linoleic acid.

5. The implant of claim 4, wherein a weight ratio of linoleic acid to cholesterol is in the range from 1:3 to 1:20.

6. The implant of claim 1, wherein the cholesterol ester is cholesterol linoleate.

7. The implant of claim 1, wherein the coating additionally contains one or more pharmaceutically active substances.

8. The implant of claim 1, wherein the implant is a stent.

9. A method of coating a stent, comprising coating an implantable stent with cholesterol or a cholesterol ester.