biomaterial based on an insolubilised dextran derivative and a growth factor according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be explained in view of the following examples . it should however be clearly understood that these examples are given solely by way of illustration of the subject of the invention , and do not constitute in any manner a limitation thereto . demonstration of the interaction of various polymers , of which several dextran derivatives of formula dmc a b b su c s d , with the growth factor tgf - β1 . this example relates to tests for screening polymers , in particular functionalized dextran derivatives comprising units chosen from mc , b , s and su , as defined above , for selecting polymers having good affinity for tgf - β1 . the structural characteristics of the various polymers used are summarized in table 1 below , the degrees of substitution with cm , b , su and s groups being indicated for each polymer . the polymer “ t40 ” indicates a native dextran ( pharmacia fine chemical , weight - average molar mass m w : 37 500 g / mol , m w / m n : 1 . 7 , m n representing the number - average molar mass ). the other polymers correspond to functionalized dextran derivatives . table i polymers mc b su s dmc 7 1 . 10 0 0 0 fc 27 0 . 75 0 . 37 0 . 64 0 fc 27 ei - 1 0 . 65 0 . 33 0 . 63 0 . 02 dmcbs r2 0 . 70 0 . 32 0 . 12 0 . 01 dmcbsu 0 . 63 0 . 35 1 . 30 0 dmcbs 25 0 . 75 0 . 20 0 . 13 0 . 02 dmcb 2 0 . 75 0 . 37 0 0 td4 0 . 76 0 . 31 0 0 td5 0 . 64 0 . 43 0 0 t40 - b2 0 . 65 0 . 29 0 0 ls13 0 . 98 0 0 0 ls4 0 . 67 0 . 33 0 0 ls5 0 . 81 0 . 23 0 0 ls8 0 . 59 0 . 39 0 0 ro5 0 . 70 0 . 35 0 . 8 0 . 01 van 1 0 . 76 0 . 38 0 0 van 2 0 . 75 0 . 37 0 . 64 0 van 3 0 . 74 0 . 37 1 . 08 0 15 ng ( 0 . 5 μl ) of tgf - β1 provided by r & amp ; d system ), alone ( control ) or in the presence of 100 μg of polymer , are dissolved in 10 μl of sample buffer , namely 125 mm sodium acetate , 50 mm tris buffer ph 7 . 00 , and 0 . 5 % bovine serum albumin ( bsa ). the samples are incubated for 1 to 2 h at 4 ° c . 45 ml of a 0 . 8 % agarose gel are prepared . the samples are loaded onto the agarose gel , on which 2 μl of glycerol at 75 % and bromophenol blue have been previously deposited . the electrophoreses is carried out for 4 h under a current of 200 ma , at a temperature of 4 ° c . the migration buffer is a buffer comprising 125 mm sodium acetate and 50 mm tris - hcl buffer ph 7 . 00 . at the end of migration , the gel is incubated for 15 to 20 minutes in a transfer buffer comprising 25 mm tris - hcl buffer ph 9 . 00 , 192 mm glycine , 20 % methanol and sds ( sodium lauryl sulfate ). the gel is then transferred by capillarity onto a pvdf ( polyvinylidene fluoride ) membrane previously soaked in methanol and then ultrapure water ( 3 minutes ) and finally in the transfer buffer , the transfer being carried out by capillarity overnight . the pvdf membrane is then soaked for 20 minutes in a tbs buffer ( 20 mm tris - hcl and 150 mm nacl ), 0 . 05 % tween and 1 % bsa mixture , and then for 20 minutes in a tbs buffer , 0 . 05 % tween and 1 % gelatin mixture . from 1 h 30 min to 2 h , at room temperature , with a solution , diluted 1 / 1000 , of primary rabbit anti - tgf - β antibody , provided by promega ( that is 10 μl of antibody in 10 ml of tbs / 0 . 05 % tween / 1 % bsa ). the incubation is followed by washing of the membrane , 4 × 10 minutes , with a tbs / 0 . 05 % tween solution ; from 1 h to 1 h 30 min , at room temperature , with a solution , diluted 1 / 2500 of secondary anti - rabbit antibody coupled to peroxidase ( boehringer mannheim ), that is 10 μl of antibody in 25 ml of tbs / 0 . 05 % tween / 1 % bsa . the incubation is followed by washing of the membrane , 3 × 10 minutes , with a tbs / 0 . 05 % tween solution , and then a final wash with tbs buffer . colorimetric visualization is then carried out . for this purpose , a solution of ortho - dianisidine at 0 . 5 % in methanol ( 50 mg / 10 ml ) and a solution of 0 . 01 % hydrogen peroxide / 10 mm tris buffer ph 7 . 4 are prepared . the colorimetric visualization is carried out by adding to the membrane 50 ml of tris buffer and 125 μl of the ortho - dianisidine solution ( that is 0 . 00125 %). a brown color appears within a few minutes . the colorimetric visualization is then stopped by addition of water . the growth factor alone ( control ) should migrate little , its isoelectric point ( pi ) being close to the ph of the migration buffer ; on the other hand , if it forms a complex with a polymer which is strongly anionic , the combination will migrate toward the anode (+). [ 0109 ] fig2 a represents the results of the electrophoreses described above . it is evident from this figure that tgf - β1 does not interact with the native dextran t40 , or with dmc7 , a solely carboxymethylated dextran derivative . on the other hand , tgf - β1 variably interacts with the other dextran derivatives . two products come out of the batch : dmcb2 and fc27 , for which the migration front is strongly displaced toward the anode . their common point is a high degree of substitution with benzylamide groups . other gel electrophoreses , not represented here , have also shown that tgf - β1 interacts with a dextran derivative substituted solely with mc ( a = 1 . 04 ) and su ( c = 0 . 70 ) groups . demonstration of the interaction of various polymers , of which several dextran derivatives of formula dmc a b b su c s d , with extracted bovine bmp ( bbmp ) as in the preceding example , this example relates to tests for screening polymers , in particular functionalized dextran derivatives in order to select polymers having good affinity for bbmp ( bovine bmp ). the protocol followed is similar to the preceding example , except for the following differences : 250 ng of bbmp provided for example by sulzer orthopedics biologics inc . ( wheat ridge , colo . ), labeled with biotin according to the boehringer kit , are used , the electrophoresis is carried out for 2 h on 0 . 8 % agarose gel , there is no step of incubation of the pvdf membrane with antibodies , but a step of incubation , for 2 h and at room temperature , with a solution , diluted 1 / 2000 , of streptavidin coupled to peroxidase ( that is 5 μl of streptavidin in 10 ml of tbs / 0 . 05 % tween / 1 % bsa ). the incubation is followed by washing of the membrane , 4 × 10 minutes , with a tbs / 0 . 05 % tween solution . [ 0121 ] fig2 b represents the results of the electrophoreses described above . it is evident from this figure that , in a manner similar to tgf - β1 ( see preceding example ), bbmp does not interact with native dextran , or with a purely carboxymethylated dextran derivative . on the other hand , bbmp interacts with the other dextran derivatives tested . a ) preparation of a dextran derivative insolubilized by sodium trimetaphosphate ( tmp ) tmp allows the crosslinking of the dextran derivative . this reaction involves phosphorylation of the polysaccharide via covalent phosphate - diester bonds , in alkaline medium . the diester bonds are created on the hydroxyl groups of the dextran . the dextran derivatives of general formula dmc a b b su c s d according to the invention having , because of their substitution , few free hydroxyl groups , their crosslinking will be carried out in the presence of native dextran ( unsubstituted ). 70 μl of a solution of native dextran of high molar mass ( greater than or equal to 500 000 g / mol ), for example dextran t500 provided by pharmacia fine chemical ( weight - average molar mass ( m w ) of 464 000 g / mol , m w / m n = 2 . 9 , m n representing the number - average molar mass ) are mixed with 20 μl of a solution of dmcb2 as defined in example 1 ( see table i ), namely a dmc a b b su c s d in which a = 0 . 75 , b = 0 . 37 and c = d = 0 , said solutions being prepared in 0 . 5 m naoh at concentrations of 300 mg / ml . 10 μl of a solution of tmp ( that is to say ( napo 3 ) 3 ) in 0 . 5 m naoh at the concentration of 300 mg / ml are added to this mixture . 100 μl of a very viscous solution are thus obtained , the increase in viscosity reflecting the crosslinking of dmcb2 and dextran . the very viscous solution obtained above is aliquoted in volumes of 1 μl on a teflon ® plate and the whole is placed in an oven at 40 ° c . for 2 h . the dry gels thus obtained are suspended twice for 24 h in a large excess ( 2 ml ) of ultrapure water , in order to remove traces of sodium hydroxide from the gel , and then freeze - dried and then sterilized by ionizing radiation ( 25 kgray ). b ) combination of a growth factor ( bbmp ) with the insolubilized dextran derivative each gel is rehydrated under sterile conditions with 2 μl of a pbs phosphate buffer ( dubelcco formulation ) containing 250 ng / ml ( 0 . 5 ng / gel ) of bbmp ( extracted bovine bmp , provided for example by sulzer orthopedics biologics inc , wheat ridge , colo .). a biomaterial is then obtained according to the invention in the form of a hydrogel . this hydrogel may be freeze - dried in order to preserve the biomaterial according to the invention in the form of a powder ( production of 100 ready - to - use freeze - dried products from 100 μl of starting solution ). at the time of use for the preparation of an implant , the freeze - dried product may be used as it is or rehydrated with 10 μl of water for injection per mg of freeze - dried product . the same protocol for preparing a biomaterial as described above could be carried out using a compound of general formula dmc a b b su c s d in which a = 0 . 67 , b = 0 . 30 , c = 0 . 15 and d = 0 . 05 ( compound called fc 06 ). 700 μl of a solution of dextran t500 ( identical to the dextran used in the preceding example ) are mixed with 200 μl of a solution of cmdbsu ( cf . table i ), said solutions being prepared in double distilled water , in an amount of 300 mg / ml . the resulting solution is frozen and freeze - dried . the freeze - dried product is immersed in a solution of 1 , 4 - butanediol - diglycidyl ether in ethyl ether ( 0 . 5 % by volume ) for 30 minutes at room temperature , and then the ethyl ether is evaporated at 40 ° c . under vacuum . the dry crosslinked gel is successively suspended in 2 ml of 0 . 1 m naoh , 2 ml of double distilled water , 2 ml of 2 m nacl and finally 3 × 2 ml of double distilled water . the gel is freeze - dried , and then rehydrated with 1 ml of double distilled water . the soft gel obtained is then placed in a container consisting of a 3 cm × 3 cm glass plate having an edge 1 mm high . a glass cover is placed on this container and the whole is frozen at − 80 ° c . the ice cake obtained ( 3 × 3 × 0 . 1 cm 3 ) is freeze - dried in the container free of its cover , and then cut with a razor blade into dry gels 5 mm along the side ( that is volumes of 25 μl ). the dry gels are suspended twice for 24 h in a large excess of ultrapure water ( 20 ml ), and then freeze - dried and sterilized by ionizing radiation ( 25 kgray ). b ) combination of a growth factor ( bbmp ) with the insolubilized dextran derivative each gel is rehydrated under sterile conditions with 50 μl of a pbs phosphate buffer ( dubelcco formulation ) containing 250 ng / ml ( 12 . 5 ng / gel ) of bbmp , and then freeze - dried . about thirty ready - to - use freeze - dried products are thus obtained from 1 ml of starting solution . at the time of use for the preparation of an implant , the freeze - dried product may be used as it is or rehydrated with 50 μl of water for injection per mg of freeze - dried product . adsorption and release of the growth factor tgf - β1 by an insolubilized dextran derivative of general formula dmc a b b su c s d the dextran derivative called fc27 in table i is used , that is to say a dextran whose respective degrees of substitution in mc , b and su units are 0 . 75 , 0 . 37 and 0 . 64 , said dextran being insolubilized in accordance with the protocol described in example 3 . the control is a native dextran t500 , which is also insolubilized as described in example 3 . 200 μl of pbs phosphate buffer comprising 0 . 02 % of sodium azide ( bactericidal agent ) and 0 . 5 % of bovine serum albumin ( bsa ), this compound making it possible to avoid the adsorption of the growth factor onto the walls of the glass tube , and the control is prepared in a similar manner , but it is from 0 . 30 g of native dextran and 400 μl of phosphate buffer ( indeed , the dextran gel t500 has a higher swelling rate than fc27 , it being possible to explain this difference by a difference in the degree of crosslinking ). the whole is left for 48 h at room temperature , with gentle stirring , and then each gel is washed with phosphate buffer in order to remove the nonabsorbed growth factor . the growth factor remaining in the tube and in the washing buffer is then assayed by the elisa method . table ii summarizes the quantities of tgf - β1 adsorbed in the gel of functionalized dextran derivative ( fc27 ) and in the gel of native dextran t500 ( control ). table ii quantity of tgf - β1 adsorbed ( ng ) gel empty tube washing buffer adsorbed in the gel t500 9 . 9 5 . 0 85 . 1 fc27 13 . 7 9 . 4 76 . 9 it is evident from table ii that there remains a residual tgf - β1 concentration of 14 . 9 % to the quantity initially added for t500 and of 23 . 1 % for fc27 . thus , t500 and fc27 respectively adsorbed 85 . 1 % and 76 . 9 % of the tgf - β1 initially added : the two gels significantly adsorb tgf - β1 . b ) release of the growth factor into a phosphate buffer medium the kinetics of release of tgf - β1 is carried out in siliconized 6 - well plates . the fc27 and t500 gels in which the tgf - β1 is adsorbed are incubated in the wells in the presence of pbs phosphate buffer ( either 5 ml or 10 ml , as described below ), 0 . 02 % sodium azide and 0 . 5 % bsa , at room temperature . the assay of tgf - β1 released into the medium is carried out by a conventional elisa method , using 96 - well microtiter plates coated with an anti - tgf - β monoclonal antibody solution ( 2 μg / ml ) in a carbonate buffer , ph 9 . 6 . the plate is sealed , incubated overnight at 4 ° c ., without stirring , and then washed 5 times with 300 μl of pbs buffer , ph 7 . 4 , comprising 0 . 05 % of tween 20 . the blocking of the nonspecific sites is then carried out with a 0 . 5 % bsa solution ( addition of 300 μl of solution per well , followed by 1 h of incubation at room temperature without stirring ). after suitable washing of the wells with the washing solution described above , the standard samples ( tgf - μ1 range from 31 . 25 to 2000 pg / ml ) and the test samples are prepared . each well contains 100 μl of each sample and is incubated , with stirring , for 1 h 30 min at room temperature . after suitable washing of the plate with the washing solution described above , the wells are incubated with a solution of primary biotinylated human anti - tgf antibody at 100 ng / ml ( 100 μl / well ) in a pbs / 0 . 05 % tween 20 / 0 . 5 % bsa buffer . after suitable washing of the plate with the washing solution described above , the wells are incubated with a solution , diluted 1 / 10 000 ( 100 μl / well ), of streptavidin coupled to peroxidase . a final washing of the plate is then carried out , and then the plate is visualized with odp ( 1 pastille in 25 ml of 0 . 05 m citrate buffer ph 5 , to which 33 . 3 μl of hydrogen peroxide at 9 % are added ), adding 200 μl of reagent per well . the reaction develops for 3 - 4 minutes and is then stopped by adding 50 μl of 3m sulfuric acid . to measure the kinetics of release of tgf - β1 , two protocols were used : either without change of medium , in which case 4 successive collections of samples ( at 15 min , 45 min , 1 h 30 min and 8 h after immersion ) of 400 μl were carried out from an initial buffer volume of 10 ml ; or with renewal of medium , in which case the initial 5 ml of buffer are collected ( at 30 min , 1 , 2 , 5 , 24 hours , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 and 15 days ) and replaced with 5 ml of fresh buffer . [ 0161 ] fig3 a and 3 b represent the quantity ( in pg , cumulative values ) of tgf - β1 released by the t500 and fc27 gels as a function of time ( in hours ), respectively without renewal of the medium ( fig5 a ) and with renewal of the medium ( fig5 b ). these figures show a rapid release of tgf - β1 into the phosphate buffer for t500 , whereas this release does not occur with fc27 . it is therefore evident that fc27 forms , with tgf - β1 , a complex which is not dissociated in phosphate buffer : tgf - β1 is adsorbed in the gel but is not released therefrom . it should however be specified that under in vivo conditions , the functionalized dextran gel would be exposed to various enzymes as well as to ph conditions which would promote the slow degradation of the gel and the gradual release of tgf - β1 . preparation of a bone implant with the aid of a biomaterial according to the invention in the form of a hydrogel for a bone cavity of about 50 mm 3 , 15 mg of biomaterial according to the invention are used in the form of a freeze - dried powder , as obtained in example 3 , which are crushed and rehydrated with 100 μl of ultrapure water ( production of a hydrogel of 100 μl ). preparation of a solid bone implant comprising a biomaterial according to the invention combined with a filling material in particulate form , tricalcic calcium phosphate 70 μl of a solution of native dextran of high molar mass ( greater than or equal to 500 000 g / mol ), such as the dextran used in example 3 , are mixed with 20 μl of a solution of dmcb2 ( same dextran derivative as in example 3 ), said solutions being prepared in 0 . 5 m naoh at concentrations of 300 mg / ml . 80 mg of granules ( 0 . 5 mm in diameter ) of tricalcic calcium phosphate are mixed with the preceding solution and 10 μl of a solution of tmp in 0 . 5 m naoh at the concentration of 300 mg / ml are added thereto . the mixture obtained is molded in the form of a cubic specimen of 5 mm 3 and placed in the oven at 40 ° c . for 2 h . the specimen obtained is suspended twice for 24 h in ultrapure water ( 100 times the volume of the cube ) with gentle stirring , dried in an oven under vacuum at 40 ° c . overnight , and then sterilized as described in example 3 . the specimen is then rehydrated under sterile conditions with 50 μl of the pbs phosphate buffer used in example 3 , containing 1 ng / μl ( 50 ng per specimen ) of bbmp . the cube is then dried under vacuum at 40 ° c . for 3 h . it can be used as it is as an implant . preparation of a coating of an orthopedic prosthesis with the aid of a biomaterial according to the invention 210 ml of a solution of native dextran of high molar mass ( greater than or equal to 500 000 g / mol ), for example the dextran t500 described in example 3 , are mixed with 60 ml of a solution of dmcb2 as described in example 3 , said solutions being prepared in 0 . 5 m naoh at concentrations of 300 mg / ml . 30 ml of a solution of tmp in 0 . 5 m naoh at the concentration of 300 mg / ml are added to this mixture . the very viscous solution obtained ( 300 ml ) is rapidly homogenized and placed at 37 ° c . in a suitable container . the tail of a femoral prosthesis made of tia16v4 ( titanium alloy comprising 6 % aluminum and 4 % vanadium ) is immediately immersed in this mixture . it is withdrawn after 10 minutes and placed in an oven maintained at 40 ° c . for 2 h . the femoral tail is immersed in 1 l of ultrapure water twice for 24 h , dried in an oven under vacuum at 40 ° c . overnight and sterilized as described in example 3 . [ 0172 ] 3 ml of a solution of the pbs buffer used in example 3 , containing 300 μg of bbmp , are dispersed at the treated surface of the prosthesis in the form of a spray , under sterile conditions . the prosthesis is then dried under vacuum at 40 ° c . for 3 h . the prosthesis may be used as it is at the time of implantation . the same protocol may be used to coat a knee prosthesis or an acetabulum of hip prosthesis . 0 . 5 cm 3 of a gel of dmcb2 ( dextran derivative of general formula dmc a b b su c s d , in which a = 0 . 75 , b = 0 . 37 and c = d = 0 ) crosslinked as described in example 3 and loaded with 100 ng of extracted bovine bmp is used . the control is a 0 . 5 cm 3 coral cube ( porites provided by biocoral inc .) loaded with 100 ng of extracted bovine bmp . the animals , 10 in number , are 3 - week - old sprague - dawley rats weighing about 70 g . they are anesthetized with a solution of ketalar ® and xylazine ®. a particle of gel ( about 1 % of the initial volume of the gel ) is removed with tweezers and placed intramuscularly , in the paravertebral muscles . the skin of the animals is closed with a nonresorbable suture thread . the implantation is maintained for 1 month , and then the animals are sacrificed for a histological study of the implants in the muscle mass . [ 0181 ] fig4 b represents a view ( magnification :× 100 ) of a newly - formed bone nodule at an intramuscular site . the mature cortical structure of the nodule can be observed . [ 0182 ] fig4 c ( magnification :× 100 ) represents the study control ( coral charged with bmp ). the porosities of the material are not very cellularized , the material is intact ( no resorption ) and no bone neoformation is observed . it is evident from this study that a low dose of bmp ( 100 ng ), vectorized by a dextran derivative of general formula dmc a b b su c s d , in which a = 0 . 75 , b = 0 . 37 and c = d = 0 makes it possible to obtain a biomaterial capable of inducing bone neoformation at an ectopic site . as is evident from the above , the invention is not at all limited to those of its embodiments , implementations and applications which have just been described more explicitly ; it encompasses on the contrary all the variants which may occur to the specialist in the field without departing from the context or from the scope of the present invention .
the invention concerns a biologically active material essentially comprising at least an insolubilised dextran derivative of general formula dmc a b b su c s d and at least a growth factor having an activity on osteoarticular , dental and / or maxillofacial tissues , and the method for preparing same . the invention also concerns the uses of said biomaterial for preparing a repair or filing material , such as an implant , for osteoarticular , dental or maxillofacial applications and for preparing an orthopaedic , dental or maxillofacial prosthesis , and the prosthesis coated with said biologically active material .