Cellulose and its derivatives: towards biomedical applications

• Published in: Cellulose (London) Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 1893 - 1931
• Main Authors: Seddiqi, Hadi, Oliaei, Erfan, Honarkar, Hengameh, Jin, Jianfeng, Geonzon, Lester C., Bacabac, Rommel G., Klein-Nulend, Jenneke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.03.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biochemical properties; Biochemistry; Biomedical applications; Biomedical fields; Biomedical materials; Bioorganic Chemistry; Biosynthesis; Cellulose; Cellulose derivatives; Ceramics; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Composites; Drug delivery; Drug delivery system; Drug delivery systems; Glass; Industrial applications; Medical applications; Microstructures and properties; Morphological forms; Natural Materials; Organic Chemistry; Organic materials; Physical Chemistry; Polymer Sciences; Polysaccharides; Preparation method; Properties (attributes); Review Paper; Sustainable Development; Tissue engineering; Wood; Wound dressing; Wound healing; Drug delivery; Wound dressing; Biomedical applications; Tissue engineering; Cellulose; Cellulose derivatives
• ISSN: 0969-0239; 1572-882X; 1572-882X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10570-020-03674-w

Cellulose is the most abundant polysaccharide on Earth. It can be obtained from a vast number of sources, e.g. cell walls of wood and plants, some species of bacteria, and algae, as well as tunicates, which are the only known cellulose-containing animals. This inherent abundance naturally paves the way for discovering new applications for this versatile material. This review provides an extensive survey on cellulose and its derivatives, their structural and biochemical properties, with an overview of applications in tissue engineering, wound dressing, and drug delivery systems. Based on the available means of selecting the physical features, dimensions, and shapes, cellulose exists in the morphological forms of fiber, microfibril/nanofibril, and micro/nanocrystalline cellulose. These different cellulosic particle types arise due to the inherent diversity among the source of organic materials or due to the specific conditions of biosynthesis and processing that determine the consequent geometry and dimension of cellulosic particles. These different cellulosic particles, as building blocks, produce materials of different microstructures and properties, which are needed for numerous biomedical applications. Despite having great potential for applications in various fields, the extensive use of cellulose has been mainly limited to industrial use, with less early interest towards the biomedical field. Therefore, this review highlights recent developments in the preparation methods of cellulose and its derivatives that create novel properties benefiting appropriate biomedical applications.