Fibrin matrices: The versatile therapeutic delivery systems

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Surgical Hemostasis

Background:

• Fibrin sealants have a long history in surgery for hemostasis.
• Recent advancements explore their potential beyond bleeding control for therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of fibrin-based materials for controlled drug delivery.
• To explore methods for regulating therapeutic release from fibrin formulations.

Main Methods:

• Fibrinogen purification and conversion to fibrin for various formulations (films, microbeads, nanoparticles).
• Activation of endogenous thrombin for whole plasma clot preparation.
• Strategies for modulating drug release: matrix binding, crosslinking, co-entrapment, and pre-encapsulation.

Main Results:

• Fibrin formulations allow control over porosity and in vivo degradability, influencing therapeutic release.
• Various methods successfully regulated both in vitro and in vivo drug release rates.
• Pre-entrapment in liposomes or anchoring to the matrix significantly lowered release rates.

Conclusions:

• Fibrin-based materials offer versatile platforms for controlled therapeutic delivery.
• Tunable properties of fibrin matrices enable precise regulation of drug release kinetics.
• These advancements hold promise for novel drug delivery strategies in medicine.