From clothing to healing: can textiles bridge the gap in biomaterial innovation? A systematic mapping of structure, properties, and biomedical applications

Textiles have progressed from traditional dressings and sutures to advanced biomaterials supporting wound healing, tissue regeneration, drug delivery, and biosensing applications. Their hierarchical structure (fibers, yarns, and fabrics) enables unique combinations of tensile strength, porosity, flexibility, and biocompatibility, making them versatile platforms in biomedical engineering. This review provides a systematic mapping of textiles as biomaterials. Literature published between 2014 and 2025 was retrieved from Google Scholar and Scopus. Analysis shows that natural fibers such as silk, collagen, cellulose, and chitosan contribute biocompatibility and bioactivity, while synthetic polymers such as polyester, polycaprolactone, and polylactic acid provide tunable mechanics and degradation. Textile processing methods including weaving, knitting, braiding, and electrospinning have enabled applications ranging from antimicrobial wound dressings and electroactive scaffolds to drug-eluting nanofibers and biosensing fabrics for wearable health monitoring. Key challenges include biocompatibility, durability, regulatory approval, and sustainability, with few long-term clinical validations reported. Future opportunities lie in integrating bioresorbable fibers, eco-friendly fabrication, and smart functionalities such as piezoelectricity and bio signal detection. By consolidating current evidence, this review highlights textiles as promising biomaterial platforms to accelerate their safe, effective, and sustainable use in healthcare. A systematic review of textiles as biomaterials. Provides a comprehensive discussion about textile materials (Fiber, Yarn, Fabric). Discuss the Properties of textile materials that can be useful for biomaterials. Provides a discussion on how textiles can be utilized in medical applications.