BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL CONTAINING SILICON, FOR PRO-ANGIOGENETIC THERAPY

1 . A silicon-containing, biodegradable material for preventing and/or treating a disease associated with reduced and/or disturbed angiogenesis and/or disease for which an increased rate of angiogenesis is beneficial to the healing process, wherein the silicon-containing, biodegradable material is a polyhydroxysilicic acid ethyl ester compound, with the proviso that wound defects, comprising chronic diabetic-neuropathic ulcer, chronic leg ulcer, bedsores, secondary-healing infected wounds, non-irritating, primary-healing wounds, ablative lacerations and/or abrasions, are excluded from said disease that can be prevented and/or treated with said material.

2 . The silicon-containing, biodegradable material according to claim 1 , wherein the material is in the form of a fibre, a fibre matrix, powder, liquid formulation, monolith and/or coating.

3 . The silicon-containing, biodegradable material according to claim 2 , capable of being produced by:

a) at least one hydrolysis-condensation reaction of tetraethoxysilane;

b) evaporating to produce a single-phase solution optionally with simultaneous gentle mixing of reaction system;

c) cooling of the single-phase solution;

d) maturation for producing silica sol material; and

e) drawing threads from said silica sol material for generating a fibre or a fibre matrix and/or drying, optionally spray drying or freeze-drying of said silica sol material to generate a powder and optionally dissolving the powder in a solvent to generate a liquid formulation and/or coating an object that is to be coated with said material, and/or

casting said silica sol material in a mould to generate a monolith.

4 . The silicon-containing, biodegradable material produced according to claim 3 , wherein the tetraethoxysilane is acid-catalysed in a) at an initial pH from 0 to ≦7, optionally in the presence of a water-soluble solvent, optionally ethanol, at a temperature from 0° C. to 80° C.

and

in b) a single-phase solution is evaporated to a viscosity in a range from 0.5 to 2 Pa·s at a shear rate of 10 s 1 at 4° C.

5 . silicon-containing, biodegradable material according to claim 4 , wherein the acid catalysis in a) is carried out with aqueous solution of nitric acid in a molar ratio to the Si compound in a range 1:1.7 to 1:1.9, optionally in a range from 1:1.7 to 1:1.8.

6 . The silicon-containing, biodegradable material of claim 1 , wherein said disease is associated with reduced and/or disturbed angiogenesis and/or a disease for which an increased rate of angiogenesis is beneficial to the healing process is selected from the group consisting of:

a) diseases of the blood circulation and/or cardiovascular system comprising:

anaemia, angina pectoris, (peripheral) arterial occlusive disease, arteriosclerosis, Winiwarter-Buerger disease, myocardial infarction, ischaemia in particular of the heart muscle, of the lung, cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, coronary artery diseases such as coronary restenosis, hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia, hypercholesterolaemia, ischaemic heart disease, myocardial scleroderma, myointimal hyperplasia, blocked blood vessels, peripheral arteriosclerotic vascular disease, portal hypertension, preeclampsia, rheumatic heart disease, hypertension, thromboembolic diseases; and/or

b) diseases associated with bone, cartilage or muscle comprising:

bone/cartilage repair, bone defect, bone fracture, bone growth, cartilage diseases, intervertebral disc degeneration, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, spinal fracture, fibromyalgia, polymyositis; and/or

c) diseases of the central nervous system comprising:

ischaemia in the central nervous system or in the peripheral nervous system, Alzheimer's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autonomic neuropathy, aneurysms, cerebral infarction, stroke, cerebrovascular disease, cerebrovascular deficient perfusion, dementia, epilepsy, ischaemic peripheral neuropathy, mild cognitive deficits, multiple sclerosis, nerve damage, Parkinson's disease, Niemann-Pick disease, polyneuropathy, schizophrenia, spinal cord injuries, toxic neuropathy; and/or

d) diseases of the eye comprising:

glaucoma; retinopathy; and/or

e) gastrointestinal diseases comprising:

Crohn's disease, gastric ulcer, intestinal ischaemia, irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatitis, ulcerative colitis; and/or

f) hormonal or metabolic diseases comprising:

diabetes mellitus, diabetic foot, peripheral diabetic vascular disease; and/or

g) diseases of the immune system comprising:

allergies, mastocytosis, Sjögren disease, transplant rejection, tissue defects in collagenoses such as Sjögren syndrome, dermatomyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, CREST syndrome, Sharp syndrome; and/or

h) infectious diseases comprising:

septic shock; and/or

i) kidneys diseases comprising:

nephropathy, intracranial hypertension, renal ischaemia; and/or

j) oral diseases comprising:

dental plaque, gum disease; and/or

k) diseases of the reproductive system comprising:

erectile dysfunction; and/or

l) diseases of the respiratory tract comprising:

asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome; and/or

m) skin diseases comprising:

nonspecific dermatitis, decubitus ulcers, dermal ischaemia, dermal ulcers, diabetic gangrene, diabetic skin ulcers, lacerations, psoriasis, scleroderma, skin injuries, burns, surgical wounds, wound healing; and/or

n) vascular diseases comprising:

vascular insufficiency, vascular restenosis, vasculitis, vasospasm, Wegener's granulomatosis; and/or

o) other diseases comprising:

alopecia, lactate acidosis, limb ischaemias, hepatic cirrhosis, hepatic ischaemia, mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, sarcoidosis, soft tissue defect, diseases that are treated with autografts of tissues and/or organs.

7 . The silicon-containing, biodegradable material according to claim 1 , wherein the polyhydroxysilicic acid ethyl ester compound has a content of ethoxy groups of at least 20%.

8 . The silicon-containing, biodegradable material according to claim 7 , wherein the polyhydroxysilicic acid ethyl ester compound is in the form of a fibre and/or a fibre matrix and said fibre and/or fibre matrix has a compressibility of at least 17%.

9 . A method for preventing and/or treating a disease associated with reduced and/or disturbed angiogenesis and/or disease for which an increased rate of angiogenesis is beneficial to healing, said method comprising utilizing a silicon-containing, biodegradable material comprising a polyhydroxysilicic acid ethyl ester compound, wound defects comprising chronic diabetic-neuropathic ulcer, chronic leg ulcer, bedsores, secondary-healing infected wounds, non-irritating, primary-healing wounds, ablative lacerations and/or abrasions, are excluded from said disease that can be prevented and/or treated with said material.

10 . A method of claim 8 , wherein said disease is selected from the group consisting of a) diseases of the blood circulation and/or cardiovascular system comprising:

anaemia, angina pectoris, (peripheral) arterial occlusive disease, arteriosclerosis, Winiwarter-Buerger disease, myocardial infarction, ischaemia in particular of the heart muscle, of the lung, cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, coronary artery diseases such as coronary restenosis, hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia, hypercholesterolaemia, ischaemic heart disease, myocardial scleroderma, myointimal hyperplasia, blocked blood vessels, peripheral arteriosclerotic vascular disease, portal hypertension, preeclampsia, rheumatic heart disease, hypertension, thromboembolic diseases; and/or

b) diseases associated with bone, cartilage or muscle comprising:

bone/cartilage repair, bone defect, bone fracture, bone growth, cartilage diseases, intervertebral disc degeneration, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, spinal fracture, fibromyalgia, polymyositis; and/or

c) diseases of the central nervous system comprising:

ischaemia in the central nervous system or in the peripheral nervous system, Alzheimer's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autonomic neuropathy, aneurysms, cerebral infarction, stroke, cerebrovascular disease, cerebrovascular deficient perfusion, dementia, epilepsy, ischaemic peripheral neuropathy, mild cognitive deficits, multiple sclerosis, nerve damage, Parkinson's disease, Niemann-Pick disease, polyneuropathy, schizophrenia, spinal cord injuries, toxic neuropathy; and/or

d) diseases of the eye comprising:

glaucoma; retinopathy; and/or

e) gastrointestinal diseases comprising:

Crohn's disease, gastric ulcer, intestinal ischaemia, irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatitis, ulcerative colitis; and/or

f) hormonal or metabolic diseases comprising:

diabetes mellitus, diabetic foot, peripheral diabetic vascular disease; and/or

g) diseases of the immune system comprising:

allergies, mastocytosis, Sjögren disease, transplant rejection, tissue defects in collagenoses such as Sjögren syndrome, dermatomyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, CREST syndrome, Sharp syndrome; and/or

h) infectious diseases comprising:

septic shock; and/or

i) kidneys diseases comprising:

nephropathy, intracranial hypertension, renal ischaemia; and/or

j) oral diseases comprising:

dental plaque, gum disease; and/or

k) diseases of the reproductive system comprising:

erectile dysfunction; and/or

l) diseases of the respiratory tract comprising:

asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome; and/or

m) skin diseases comprising:

nonspecific dermatitis, decubitus ulcers, dermal ischaemia, dermal ulcers, diabetic gangrene, diabetic skin ulcers, lacerations, psoriasis, scleroderma, skin injuries, burns, surgical wounds, wound healing; and/or

n) vascular diseases comprising:

vascular insufficiency, vascular restenosis, vasculitis, vasospasm, Wegener's granulomatosis; and/or

o) other diseases comprising:

alopecia, lactate acidosis, limb ischaemias, hepatic cirrhosis, hepatic ischaemia, mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, sarcoidosis, soft tissue defect, diseases that are treated with autografts of tissues and/or organs.

11 . Pro-angiogenetic therary method comprising utilizing a silicon-containing, biodegradable material comprising a polyhydroxysilicic acid ethyl ester compound.