Textile slow-release systems with medical applications

In the development of medical drug delivery systems, attention has been increasingly focused on slow- or controlled delivery systems in order to achieve an optimal therapeutic effect. Since the administration of drugs often requires a defined or minimum effective dosage in the human body, more conventional delivery systems such as tablets require relatively high doses, which can result in undesired toxic effects. Subsequent degradation of the drug in the human body will result in a drug concentration below the minimum effective level. Furthermore, there are situations where oral administration is less advisable, such as in cases of prolonged treatment or with people that are forgetful, which again results in ineffective treatment. Textile slow-release systems have the potential to overcome these negative aspects. Drugs containing transdermal patches for ex-vivo applications are already familiar; however, this paper will not deal with such applications, but with more advanced in-vivo textile slow-release systems. Due to enormous progress over the years in the fields of supramolecular chemistry, nanotechnology, and polymer science & technology, a number of promising drug delivery technologies have been developed. This review will focus on the opportunities of textiles bearing cyclodextrins, aza-crown ethers or fullerenes, as well as ion-exchange fibres, drug-loaded hollow fibres, textiles treated with nanoparticles and fibres with bioactive compounds in their embodiment. In this paper, the delivery systems will be discussed and compared in terms of biostability, biodegradability, controllability, toxicity, carcinogenicity, interface reactions, material costs and the fabrication process.