11 - Cellulose-Based Hydrogels for Medical/Pharmaceutical Applications

Abstract

Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymeric networks capable of absorbing large amounts of water or biological fluids. Their ability to retain a significant amount of water confers them some properties similar to natural living tissues, being useful for a wide variety of biomedical applications. Because of an increased demand for environmentally friendly and biocompatible products, the research has focused attention on the renewable polymers with biodegradable properties. Thus, the hydrogels obtained from cellulose or different cellulose derivatives are extremely advantageous compared to other natural or synthetic polymers, due to their biodegradability and biocompatibility. In addition, physical or chemical cross-linking strategies, as well as the preparation by blending, polyelectrolyte complex formation, and interpenetrating polymer networks technology increase considerable the applicability field. This chapter provides the progress on the design, preparation methods, and properties of hydrogels based on cellulose and its derivatives with possible applications in medical and pharmaceutical fields. The hydrogels obtained by both chemical and physical cross-linking as well as composite hydrogels are considered. The smart behavior of cellulose-based hydrogel displayed in responsive to external stimuli, as pH, temperature, ionic strength, etc. are also discussed.