Fibrin glue as a drug delivery system

Fibrin glue has been used surgically for decades for hemostasis as well as a sealant. It has also been researched as both a gel for cell delivery and a vehicle for drug delivery. The drug delivery applications for fibrin glue span tissue engineering to chemotherapy and involve several mechanisms for drug matrix interactions and control of release kinetics. Additionally, drugs or factors can be loaded in the gel via impregnation and tethering to the gel through covalent linkages or affinity-based systems. This review highlights recent research of fibrin glue as a drug delivery vehicle. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.