Implantable textiles biodegradable implants

Lactic acid is an important chemical that has wide applications in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and chemical industries. There are increasing interests in production of lactate esters and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) from lactic acid. Lactate esters are a relatively new family of solvents with specific properties. They are considered safe and are biodegradable (1). In many situations they can replace toxic solvents. Their functions vary from that of intermediates in chemical reactions to solvents in ink formulations and cleaning applications (2). PLA has been widely used in medical implants, sutures, and drug-delivery systems because of its capacity to dissolve over time (3-5). PLA also can be used in products such as plant pots, disposable diapers, and textile fabrics. 

Potential applications for shape memory PU exist in almost every area of daily life from self-repairing auto bodies to kitchen utensils, from switches to sensors, from intelligent packing to tools [98]. Other potential applications are drug delivery [99], biosensors, biomedical devices [100,101], microsystem components [102], and smart textiles [103]. Because PU can be made biodegradable, they can be used as shortterm implants so removal by surgery can be avoided. Some important applications are discussed next. 

Guan, G., Wang, L., Li, M., Bai, L., 2014. In vivo biodegradation of porous silk fibroin films implanted beneath the skin and muscle of the rat. Biomed. Mater. Eng. 24, 789-797. Guidoin, R., King, M., Marceau, D., Cardou, A., De La Faye, D., Legendre, J.-M., Blais, P., 1987. Textile arterial prostheses is water permeability equivalrait to porosity J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 21, 65-87. 

Starting from plain cotton-based products, medical textiles have seen rapid development over the last few decades. Nowadays, new biodegradable fibers have enabled the development of novel types of implants, and modem textile machines can produce three-dimensional spacer fabrics that give superior performance over traditional textile materials. These and many other advances have made medical textiles an essential element in modem disease management, and they are becoming more and more important with the increasing number of elderly people in the populations of developed countries. 

As the basic component of medical textile materials, the structures and properties of the constituent polymers have a significant effect on the biodegradability, biocompatibility, absorbency, antimicrobial property, and other functional performances of the final medical textile products. Functional modifications of polymers have far-reaching effects on the fibers, yams, fabrics, and textile materials that are processed in a series of downstream operations. In order to generate the desired product performance characteristics for their diverse applications such as hygiene, protection, therapeutic, nonimplantable or implantable materials, extracorporeal devices, etc., the chemical and physical structures of the relevant polymers should be engineered to suit their required specifications. 

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