Compositions for regenerating defective or absent myocardium
View Patent ↗Compositions of the invention for regenerating defective or absent myocardium comprise an emulsified or injectable extracellular matrix composition. The composition may also include an extracellular matrix scaffold component of any formulation, and further include added cells, proteins, or other components to optimize the regenerative process and restore cardiac function.
1. An injectable graft composition for myocardial tissue regeneration, said composition comprising acellular extracellular matrix (ECM) from a mammalian tissue source comprising small intestine submucosa, said ECM comprising native proteoglycans, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), said ECM further comprising an exogenously added supplemental bioactive component comprising a fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), said FGF-2 comprising greater than 0.1% by weight of said composition,
said FGF-2 being linked to a molecule in the ECM, wherein said FGF-2 interacts with said proteoglycans to control and enhance matrix formation and remodeling, wherein, when said composition is administered to damaged cardiovascular tissue, said composition induces stem cell proliferation and differentiation of stem cells into cardiomyocytes.