ABSTRACT
The administration of antibiotics is thought of as a commonplace matter. These drugs are usually given systemically in the hospital setting, and either systemically or topically under domestic circumstances. These approaches are generally adequate, largely due to the high therapeutic index of most antibiotics. Nevertheless, situations remain where the systemic administration of antibiotics produces unsatisfactory results. The use of fibrin sealant (FS) as a site-directed, drug-delivery system has potential for several clinical applications. Unlike many nonbiological carriers and carriers derived from animal tissues, FS can be formulated to contain only human proteins, which minimizes immunogenicity and foreign body reactions. Several methods of delivering antibiotics to specific sites utilizing fibrin have been devised. Such “antibiotic-supplemented” fibrin has been shown to be useful in some clinical and preclinical settings. The use of an antibiotic in a chemical form with low solubility rendered the system susceptible to saturation-induced limitation of the delivery rate.
