Germanium-Titanium-π Polymer Composites as Functional Textiles for Clinical Strategy to Evaluate Blood Circulation Improvement and Sexual Satisfaction.

Yu-Cing Juho,Chen-Xi Lin,Tenson Liang,Juin-Hong Cherng,En Meng,Shou-Hung Tang,Yi-Hsin Lin

doi:10.3390/polym13234154

Abstract

By continuously enhancing the blood flow, far-infrared (FIR) textile is anticipated to be a potential non-pharmacological therapy in patients with peripheral vascular disorders, for instance, patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD) and experiencing vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (VED). Hence, we manufactured a novel polymer composite, namely, germanium-titanium-π (Ge-Ti-π) textile and aimed to evaluate its characteristics and quality. We also investigated the immediate and long-term effects of the textile on patients with ESRD undergoing HD and experiencing VED. The Ge-Ti-π textile was found to have 0.93 FIR emissivity, 3.05 g/d strength, and 18.98% elongation. The results also showed a 51.6% bacteria reduction and negative fungal growth. On application in patients receiving HD, the Ge-Ti-π textile significantly reduced the limb numbness/pain (p < 0.001) and pain score on the visual analog scale (p < 0.001). Moreover, the Doppler ultrasound assessment data indicated a significant enhancement of blood flow in the right hand after 1 week of Ge-Ti-π textile treatment (p < 0.041). In VED patients, the Ge-Ti-π underpants treatment significantly improved the quality of sexual function and increased the average penile blood flow velocity after 3 months of the treatment. Our study suggests that the Ge-Ti-π textile could be beneficial for patients with blood circulation disorders.

Highlights

Bioactivity is the ability of a particular substance to elicit effects, such as tissue uptake, metabolism, or physiological response, in biological surroundings [1,2]
The result shows that the mean FIR fiber particle size was 49.77 ± 0.46 nm with a polydispersity index (PDI) mean of 0.21 ± 0.005
After the third month of trial period, the mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), temperature, and pulse rate were 127.26 mmHg, 81.33 mmHg, 36.39 ◦ C, and 74.48 bpm, respectively. These results demonstrated that the body temperature was within the normal range for all the participants and the blood pressure parameters were similar between the two groups, thereby indicating that the Ge-Ti-π underpants treatment was safe with no adverse effects being observed

Summary

Introduction

Bioactivity is the ability of a particular substance to elicit effects, such as tissue uptake, metabolism, or physiological response, in biological surroundings [1,2]. Macromolecules that are bioactive and cause a definite biological response when used for medical therapy, insect control, weed control, or other reasons are called bioactive polymers [3,4]. Some polymer composites are used to improve the characteristics of certain materials. A polymer composite is a multi-phase material wherein the polymer acts as a matrix for reinforcing fillers; this material structure leads to synergistic mechanical traits that may be impossible to achieve if only one material is used [5]. Polymer composites are commonly employed in biomedical practices in several fields, such as regenerative medicine, restorative dentistry, and tissue engineering [7,8]. The combination of polymers as matrices and active materials as fillers (e.g., germanium, magnesium oxide, titanium dioxide, bamboo charcoal, or nephrite) can make polymer composites emit far-infrared (FIR) that may be useful for clinical therapy

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