Direct application of non-toxic crosslinking reagents to resist progressive spinal degeneration and deformity
A method of treatment of native, non-denatured tissue to increase resistance to tearing, fissuring, rupturing, and/or delamination, comprising the step of: contacting at least a portion of the tissue with an effective amount of a reagent that increases crosslinks in the tissue.
1. A method of treatment of native, non-denatured tissue to increase resistance to tearing, fissuring, rupturing, and/or delamination, comprising the step of: contacting at least a portion of the tissue in a living body with an effective amount of a reagent that increases crosslinks in the tissue, wherein the tissue is the annulus fibrosus of an intervertebral disc.
2. The method of claim 1 in which the living body is a living human body.
3. The method of claim 1 in which there is more than one crosslinking agent.
4. The method of claim 1 in which the reagent is non-toxic.
5. The method of claim 1 in which the crosslinking agent is in a substantially non-cytotoxic carrier medium.
6. The method of claim 5 in which the carrier medium is a phosphate buffered saline solution, bicarbonate or Tris.
7. The method of claim 5 in which the pH of the carrier medium is adjusted to be substantially the same as the healthy tissue environment.
8. The method of claim 1 in which the crosslinking reagent is non-enzymatic and contains:
at least 0.033% genipin, or a bioflavonoid.
9. A method of treatment of native, non-denatured tissue to increase resistance to tearing, fissuring, rupturing, and/or delamination, comprising the step of: contacting at least a portion of the tissue with an effective amount of a reagent that increases crosslinks in the tissue, wherein the crosslinking reagent contains recombinant or naturally occurring lysyl oxidase that is used in conjunction with a peptide that contains at least two lysine residues, and wherein the peptide is between 10 and 30 amino acids in length.
10. A method of treatment of native, non-denatured tissue to increase resistance to tearing, fissuring, rupturing, and/or delamination, comprising the step of: contacting at least a portion of the tissue with an effective amount of a reagent that increases crosslinks in the tissue, wherein the crosslinking reagent contains recombinant or naturally occurring lysyl oxidase that is used in conjunction with a peptide that contains at least two lysine residues, and wherein the peptide is poly-lysine.
11. The method of claim 2 in which there is more than one crosslinking agent.
12. The method of claim 2 in which the reagent is non-toxic.
13. The method of claim 2 in which the crosslinking agent is in a substantially non-cytotoxic carrier medium.
14. The method of claim 13 in which the carrier medium is a phosphate buffered saline solution, bicarbonate or Tris.
15. The method of claim 13 in which the pH of the carrier medium is adjusted to be substantially the same as the healthy tissue environment.
16. The method of claim 2 in which the crosslinking reagent is non-enzymatic and contains at least 0.033% genipin, or a bioflavonoid.
17. The method of claim 2 in which the reagent is effective to resist displacement of the central portion of the disc posteriorally or posteriolaterally.
18. The method of claim 2 in which the reagent is effective to resist displacement of a nucleus augmentation or replacement device by increasing the resistance to tearing, fissuring or rupturing of the annulus fibrosus.
19. A method of treatment of native, non-denatured tissue to increase resistance to tearing, fissuring, rupturing, and/or delamination, comprising the step of: contacting at least a portion of the tissue in a living body with an effective amount of a reagent that increases crosslinks in the tissue, wherein the tissue is knee meniscus.
20. The method of claim 19 in which the living body is a living human body.
21. The method of claim 19 in which there is more than one crosslinking agent.
22. The method of claim 19 in which the reagent is non-toxic.
23. The method of claim 19 in which the crosslinking agent is in a substantially non-cytotoxic carder medium.
24. The method of claim 23 in which the carrier medium is a phosphate buffered saline solution, bicarbonate or tris.
25. The method of claim 23 in which the pH of the carrier medium is adjusted to be substantially the same as the healthy tissue environment.
26. The method of claim 19 in which the crosslinking reagent is non-enzymatic and contains at least 0.033% genipin, or a bioflavonoid.
27. The method of claim 20 in which there is more than one crosslinking agent.
28. The method of claim 20 in which the reagent is non-toxic.
29. The method of claim 20 in which the crosslinking agent is in a substantially non-cytotoxic carrier medium.
30. The method of claim. 29 in which the carrier medium is a phosphate buffered saline solution, bicarbonate or Tris.
31. The method of claim 29 in which the pH of the carrier medium is adjusted to be substantially me same as the healthy tissue environment.
32. The method of claim 20 in which the crosslinking reagent is non-enzymatic and contains at least 0.033% genipin, or a bioflavonoid.