the present invention is directed to hydroswellable , coated sutures that undergo swelling in aqueous environments , such as in living tissues , wherein the fibrous components of the sutures and / or their coatings are responsible for the ability to absorb water and undergo swelling . the chemical structures of these coatings are tailored to produce polymeric chains with highly hydrophilic , water - absorbing polyoxyethylene segments or blocks linked covalently to relatively hydrophobic polyester chains . the latter can be further designed to have modulated absorption profiles depending upon the sought in vivo performance of the suture . apart from their ability to undergo water - induced swelling , or hydroswelling , the molecular weight and thermal properties of the coatings are tailored to increase the surface lubricity of the sutures and reduce their frictional coefficient . this is achieved by having preferably low - melting and low - to moderate - crystallinity segments in the polymeric chains . in addition to the lubricious nature and ability of the coating materials to undergo swelling , the amphiphilic nature of their constituent polymeric chains displays differing degrees of surface activity typically encountered in nonionic surfactants . this , in turn , increases the effectiveness of the coatings in imparting surface lubricity in wet environments . when used as a suture coating , not only the dry tie - down characteristics are generally improved , but also the friction force decreases , further , upon exposure to an aqueous medium . another important feature associated with the amphiphilic , swellable coating is the ability to control the fraction of the hydrophobic and hydrophobic components to allow the use of the coatings as vehicles for the controlled release of bioactive agents of variable affinity to these components . this and controlling the extent and rate of swelling of these coatings provide an extensive opportunity to use the coatings as effective carriers for a broad spectrum of bioactive agents to allow their release as per any desired profile . another primary aspect of this invention deals with the broad spectrum of the type of fibrous components of the suture , which can be coated with the swellable coating polymer . thus , the fibrous components can be in the form of ( 1 ) an absorbable or non - absorbable monofilament ; ( 2 ) an absorbable or non - absorbable braided multifilament ; ( 3 ) a braided silk multifilament ; ( 4 ) a composite suture braid comprising an absorbable and non - absorbable component ; ( 5 ) a swellable , absorbable or non - absorbable monofilament ; ( 6 ) a swellable , absorbable or non - absorbable braid ; ( 6 ) a composite braid of swellable and practically non - swellable multifilament ; and ( 7 ) a composite braid of swellable and non - swellable components . further illustrations of the present invention are provided by the following examples : synthesis and characterization of a polyether - ester by grafting polyethylene glycol with 99 / 1 ε - caprolactone / glycolide as a typical swellable coating , c - i predried polyethylene glycol ( 35 g ) having a molecular weight of 1000 da was mixed in a pre - dried polymerization reactor ( equipped for mechanical stirring and outlets for applying vacuum , introducing nitrogen , and introducing components of the charge ) with ε - caprolactone ( 565 mmole , 64 . 41 g ) and glycolide ( 5 . 1 mmole , 0 . 59 g ) and heated under nitrogen to 110 ° c . the polymerization charge was stirred to produce uniform liquid . to this was added a solution of stannous octanoate in toluene ( 1 ml of 0 . 228 molar solution , 0 . 228 mmole ) to provide a monomer / catalyst ratio of 2500 / 1 . the reactants were heated while stirring to 160 ° c . and maintained at this temperature until practically complete monomer conversion ( about 15 hours ) as determined by gel - permeation chromatography ( gpc ). at the conclusion of the polymerization , the polymer was cooled to room temperature , isolated and analyzed for identity ( by infrared and nmr ), thermal properties ( dsc ), molecular weight ( viscometry and gpc ). the differential scanning calorimetry data indicated a t m1 = 29 ° c . and t m2 = 46 ° c ., and an overall heat of fusion of 44 j / g . viscosity and molecular weight data can be summarized as follows : inherent viscosity ( in chcl 3 )= 0 . 14 dl / g ; m w = 7 kda . synthesis and characterization of polyether - ester by grafting polyethylene glycol with 95 / 5 ε - caprolactone / glycolide as a typical absorbable , swellable coating , c - ii coating copolymer c - ii was prepared and characterized under conditions similar to those used in example 1 with the exception of using 16 . 25 g of the polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight of 1000 da and a mixture of ε - caprolactone ( 541 mmole , 61 . 7 g ) and glycolide ( 28 . 4 mmole , 3 . 3 g ) instead of ε - caprolactone alone . analytical data for c - ii can be summarized as follows : t m = 45 ° c . ; δh f = 62 j / g ; m n = 37 kda ; m w = 16 kda . coating and testing of a braided multifilament silk braid with swellable coating c - i from example 1 a braided silk suture having a diameter of 0 . 34 mm was coated with a 18 percent acetone solution of c - i polymer ( from example 1 ) using a standard dipping technique at room temperature . the coated suture was dried to a constant weight to determine a coating add - on of 10 . 3 percent . the coated suture was tested against the uncoated suture and indicated : ( a ) an improvement of the dry tie - down characteristics which improved further when tested after wetting in an aqueous medium — the decrease in the friction force was more pronounced in the case of the wet suture ; ( b ) a decrease in the friction force using a mechanical simulation of tie - down under typical dry and wet surgical applications ; and ( c ) increase in cross - sectional area upon soaking in saline for one hour . coating and testing of a braided multifilament yarn of absorbable glycolide copolymer with swellable coating c - ii from example 2 a practically non - swellable braided suture made of 95 / 5 ( molar ) glycolide / ε - caprolactone , having a diameter of 0 . 33 mm , was coated with a 15 percent acetone solution of c - ii polymer ( from example 2 ) using a standard dipping technique at room temperature . the coated sutures were dried to a constant weight to determine a coating add - on of 4 . 3 percent . the coated suture was tested against the uncoated suture and indicated : ( a ) an improvement of dry tie - down characteristics which improved further when tested after wetting in an aqueous medium ; ( b ) a decrease in the friction force using a mechanical simulation of tie - down under typical dry and wet surgical applications - the decrease in the friction force was more pronounced in the case of the wet suture ; and ( c ) increase in cross - sectional area upon soaking in saline for one hour . coating and testing of a swellable braided multifilament yarn of an absorbable polyether - ester using coating c - ii from example 2 a swellable braided suture made of polyethylene glycol end - grafted with a mixture of 70 / 30 ( molar ) glycolide / caprolactone , having a diameter of 0 . 31 mm , was coated with a 15 percent acetone solution of c - ii polymer ( from example 2 ) using a standard dipping technique at room temperature . the coated sutures were dried to a constant weight to determine a coating add - on of 3 percent . the coated suture was tested against the uncoated suture and indicated : ( a ) an improvement of dry tie - down characteristics which improved further when tested after wetting in an aqueous medium ; ( b ) a decrease in the friction force using a mechanical simulation of tie - down under typical dry and wet surgical applications - the decrease in the friction force was more pronounced in the case of the wet suture ; and ( c ) increase in cross - sectional area upon soaking in saline for one hour . although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be utilized without departing from the principles and scope of the invention , as those skilled in the art will readily understand . accordingly , such modifications may be practiced within the scope of the following claims . moreover , applicant hereby discloses all subranges of all ranges disclosed herein . these subranges are also useful in carrying out the present invention .
swellable , coated sutures have a swellable polymeric coating and a fibrous component , wherein the coating is formed of an absorbable or non - absorbable polymer , while the fibrous component is formed of a synthetic absorbable or non - absorbable monofilament yarn , synthetic absorbable or non - absorbable braided multifilament yarn , braided silk multifilament yarn or combinations thereof . in certain instances , the coating is used as a carrier for the controlled delivery of different types of bioactive agents , including those having antimicrobial , anti - inflammatory , anesthetic , tissue growth - promoting , and antineoplastic activities .