Surgical fastener device for the prevention of ECM degradation

1. A staple cartridge assembly for use with a surgical stapler, comprising:

a cartridge body having a plurality of staple cavities, each staple cavity having a surgical staple disposed therein;

an effective amount of a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor differentially releasable from each of the staples during one or more phases, the MMP inhibitor being effective to prevent MMP-mediated extracellular matrix degeneration during wound healing in the tissue in a predetermined manner;

an adhesion coating comprising an absorbable polymer disposed on an outer surface of a portion of each leg of each of the staples, the portion disposed between a distal tip of each leg and a crown of each of the staples, the adhesion coating configured to adhere the MMP inhibitor to each of the staples, wherein each of the absorbable polymer and the MMP inhibitor are formulated with an ionic charge such that the MMP inhibitor is electrostatically attracted to the absorbable polymer; and

an anti-adhesion coating disposed on an outer surface of the distal tip of each leg of each of the staples and on an outer surface of the crown of each of the staples, the anti-adhesion coating configured to minimize adhesion of the MMP inhibitor.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a biocompatible adjunct material releasably retained on the cartridge body and configured to be delivered to tissue by deployment of the staples in the cartridge body, wherein an effective amount of a second MMP inhibitor is disposed within and differentially releasable from the adjunct material.

3. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the second MMP inhibitor includes an anti-adhesion agent configured to minimize adhesion of the second MMP inhibitor to the adjunct material.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the MMP inhibitor is configured for release from the staples from 1-3 days following deployment of the staples to the tissue.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the MMP inhibitor is biphasically releasable from each of the staples during a first phase and a second phase.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein during the first phase the MMP inhibitor is configured to be released from each of the staples at a zero order kinetics release rate.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the zero order kinetics release rate is a rate that is constant during a duration of release of the MMP inhibitor from each of the staples.

8. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the MMP inhibitor is released as a bolus during the first phase and the MMP inhibitor is released as a delayed release of a constant amount over a period of 1-3 days during the second phase.

9. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the MMP inhibitor released during the second phase is formulated by encapsulating the MMP inhibitor in an organic matrix.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein, during at least one of the one or more phases, the at least one MMP inhibitor is configured to be released from each of the staples at a rate defined as a percentage of the effective amount of the at least one MMP inhibitor per unit time.

11. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the absorbable polymer is water soluble.

12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the absorbable polymer is polymerized in the presence of the at least one MMP inhibitor, thereby resulting in an absorbable polymer/MMP inhibitor blend.

13. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the absorbable polymer is an absorbable lubricant comprising at least one of the following: magnesium stearate, sodium stearate, calcium stearate, powdered stearic acid, talc, paraffin, cocoa butter, graphite, and lycopodium.

14. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of staple cavities are coated with an anti-adhesion coating configured to minimize interference of the at least one MMP inhibitor with deployment of the staples out of the cartridge body.