Many people have been stitched up with sutures after accidents and surgeries. Many of the sutures used today are dissolving sutures, like polyglycolic acid (PGA)—used commonly in dentistry. Dissolving sutures are more than just convenient, they also often aid in cell regeneration. Some materials used in sutures help by promoting collagen growth as they are broken down by the body.
Dissolvable materials used for sutures also may be used to promote improved tissue healing throughout our bodies. Tissue engineering utilizes a wide range of materials and fabrication methods to achieve an ideal structure and environment to promote cell growth. As we discover and improve upon materials that encourage healthy and functional cell growth in a structure, it’s clear to see that textiles could be used in tissue engineered organs.
Current commercial tissue engineered products include advanced wound care, and also products to repair and treat hernias, prolapses, and burns. Organs are often much more challenging due to their complex structures and varied cell types. Textile fabrication methods offer a variety of advantages in physical structure as well as mechanical properties. For example, pore size can be adjusted for optimal cell infiltration with many nonwovens applications like meltblowing. Braided structures provide dimensional stability and are used for some cardiovascular tissue engineering applications.
By combining techniques and using biocompatible materials, more complex organs could be the next step in the frontier of tissue engineering. Fibers can be varied far beyond just physical and mechanical properties to deliver drugs, hormones, and nutrients for optimal tissue growth. Some simple and hollow organs like the bladder are already showing promising results with tissue engineering.
Sutures are only one example of medical textiles. The medical textile field offers a plethora of products as ubiquitous as masks and as complex as organ regeneration components. As development continues in the medical textile arena, the need for applicable industry test methods continues to grow. Matthew Hardwick expounded on such a need in his 2019 article, “.’
One of the concepts mentioned in Hardwick’s article was antimicrobials in textile testing. Interestingly, the pandemic spurred further research and production of antimicrobial agents aimed at protection from infectious bacteria and viruses.
Antimicrobial agents can be added to textiles at many stages of production, from being mixed in to extruded polymers, applied to yarns and fabric, or coating finished goods. These products help us in a variety of ways to combat viruses and bacteria during the pandemic or future flu seasons. Some products are aimed at personal protective equipment such as antimicrobial masks and apparel and are directly used in the medical field.
New antimicrobials are being developed for use on textiles; however, they have the same advantages and disadvantages as antibiotics used in medicine. While antimicrobial agents used in textiles can be a convenient and cost-effective means of protection, viruses and bacteria can adapt to become resistant to specific agents over time.
New antimicrobials are also being developed with the goal of increasing overall effectiveness in subduing harmful microbes. For example, researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver have developed an antimicrobial finish that .
Many of these new antimicrobial agents are evaluated using AATCCs antibacterial methods such as ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥TM100-2019, Test Method for Assessment of Antibacterial Finishes on Textile Materials and ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥TM147-2011 (2016e), Test Method for Antibacterial Activity of Textile Materials: Parallel Streak.  ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥TM211-2021 Test Method for the Reduction of Bacterial Odor on Antibacterial-Treated Textiles serves as a complementary method to support the overall testing profile of a textile article.
Although antimicrobial test methods offer needed methodologies, there still exists a need for new methods to fill the current gaps in the industry and to support emerging technologies in the medical textile field. Participating with the ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥research committees provides an opportunity to be at the forefront of industry standard development. More information on ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥research committees can be found at .
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ the Author
Carrie Gray, ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥Technical Associate
grayc@aatcc.org; +1.919.549.3537
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