Textiles have been used in our daily life since antiquity in both economies and social relationships. Nowadays, there has never been a greater desire for intelligent materials. Smart fabric textiles with high-quality and high-performance fiber manufacturing with specific functions represented by clothing and apparel brands (such as astronaut suits that can regulate temperature and control muscle vibrations) are becoming increasingly prominent. Product applications also extend from the field of life clothing to the medical/health, ecology/environmental protection, and military/aerospace fields. In this context, this review proposes to demonstrate the recent advances and challenges regarding smart fabric textiles. The possibilities of innovative smart textiles extending the overall usefulness and functionalities of standard fabrics are immense in the fields of medical devices, fashion, entertainment, and defense, considering sufficient comfort as a parameter necessary for users to accept wearable devices. Smart textile devices require a multidisciplinary approach regarding the circuit design of the development of intelligent textiles, as the knowledge of intelligent materials, microelectronics, and chemistry are integrated with a deep understanding of textile production for optimum results.

In the past decades, there has been a significant increase in the use of polymers for biomedical applications. The global medical polymer market size was valued at USD 19.92 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.0% from 2023 to 2030 despite some limitations, such as cost (financial limitation), strength compared to metal plates for bone fracture, design optimization and incorporation of reinforcement. Recently, this increase has been more pronounced due to important advances in synthesis and modification techniques for the design of novel biomaterials and their behavior in vitro and in vivo. Also, modern medicine allows the use of less invasive surgeries and faster surgical sutures. Besides their use in the human body, polymer biomedical materials must have desired physical, chemical, biological, biomechanical, and degradation properties. This review summarizes the use of polymers for biomedical applications, mainly focusing on hard and soft tissues, prosthetic limbs, dental applications, and bone fracture repair. The main properties, gaps, and trends are discussed.

The microdiscectomy used for the treatment of intervertebral disc disorders leaves an open incision in the annulus fibrosus that must be sealed to avoid re-herniation and other subsequent degenerations. In this study, we developed an injectable and in situ polymerizable polyurethane adhesive as a long-term post-surgical annulus fibrosus repair strategy. It was investigated the chemical structure of the urethane-based adhesive and its physico-chemical, viscoelastic, kinetic, and in vitro cytotoxic properties. The adhesive formulated from the polycarbonate diol with the highest molar mass was the one that exhibited a compressive behavior closest to the intervertebral disc outer region, and therefore, the most suitable for restoration. This adhesive showed 18-day stability under moisture and required a preparation time of 10 h at 60°C before use. The material also adhered covalently to gelatin (without catalyst or initiator) and positively impacted cell proliferation after its polymerization, which are essential requirements for clinical translation. These findings confirmed the ability of the polyurethane adhesive to act as an annulus fibrosus sealant, although further improvements in its formulation are necessary.

Aim: Disc herniation is a spine disease that leads to suffering and disability. Discectomy is a Janus-faced approach that relieves pain symptoms but leave the intervertebral discs predisposed to herniation. This systematic review discussed the mechanical and biological requirements for a polyurethane-based biomaterial to be used in annular repair. Methods: Search strategy was performed in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases to define the main mechanical properties, biological findings and follow-up aspects of these biomaterials. The range was limited to articles published from January 2000 to December 2017 in English language. Results: The search identified 82 articles. From these, a total of 18 articles underwent a full-text analysis, and 16 studies were included in the review. Conclusion: The polyurethane presents suitable properties to be used as an engineered solution to re-establish the microenvironment and biomechanical features of the intervertebral disc.