1 - Drug-releasing textile materials: current developments and future perspectives

Abstract

Textile materials loaded with drugs are widely used in the biomedical field due to their unique structural physiochemical properties. Textile fabric materials are promising carriers used for delivering drug to body surfaces, such as skin. Developing advanced biocompatible textile fabrics with desired physiochemical properties for control and sustained release of the loaded drug is challenging in the biomedical field. Drug-releasing textile materials are reliable carriers that can minimize this gap by providing variety of fabrication aspects, which include processing of materials, drug-loading procedures, and post modification for clinical application. The designing and fabrication of drug-releasing fabrics include a wide assortment of fabric structures and textile materials as well as a detailed interpretation of the drug transport processes. This chapter presents historical developments and advancements in drug-releasing textile materials and describes the different techniques used to incorporate medication into fabric-based textile materials. In addition, this chapter also describes in detail the drug release mechanisms and kinetics, different types of therapeutics carriers, fabrication, coating methods, characterization, and application of drug-releasing textiles.