Journal of Basic and Applied Research International

Medical textiles have moved a long way from their original role as simple protective covers. Fibres, yarns, and fabrics can now be chemically engineered to sense, signal, and actively participate in tissue repair, rather than merely shielding a wound from the outside world. This critical review brings together recent work on the chemical functionalization of textile substrates across three connected areas: wound care, therapeutic delivery, and regenerative medicine. It begins with the chemistry that turns an inert fibre into a reactive platform — plasma and physical activation, wet-chemical grafting, click chemistry and bioconjugation, and nanoparticle or sol–gel coatings — before turning to antimicrobial functionalization using metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles, chitosan and related polycationic biopolymers, and antimicrobial peptides. The discussion then moves to therapeutic delivery through electrospun nanofibres, chemically modified gauzes, functionalized sutures, and haemostatic textiles, and from there to the growing convergence between textile science and electronics, in which fibres and fabrics are functionalized to track pH, temperature, exudate biomarkers, and infection status in real time, supporting closed-loop and theranostic wound management. A further section considers textile-derived scaffolds for regenerative medicine, including electrospun nanofibrous constructs, decellularized matrices, three-dimensional bioprinted skin substitutes, and peptide- or growth-factor-functionalized fibres designed to mimic the extracellular matrix. Throughout, laboratory promise is weighed against translational evidence, with attention to nanomaterial safety, comparative clinical efficacy, and the sustainability cost of chemically intensive finishing processes. Taken together, the literature suggests that individual functionalization chemistries are reaching real maturity, but combining antimicrobial, sensing, and regenerative function within one durable, scalable textile remains the harder, still largely unsolved problem. The review closes by identifying priorities for future work: standardised biocompatibility testing, clearer regulatory pathways, and design choices that reconcile chemical sophistication with the comfort, breathability, and biodegradability expected of next-generation medical textiles.