Cellulose and derivatives serving as natural, versatile and biocompatible polymers in biomedical applications

Abstract

Cellulose is one of the world’s most abounding polymers, which could be obtained through a miscellany of natural resources, plant cell walls, certain types of bacteria, algae, tunicates, some other specifically recognized organisms. This intrinsic profusion inherently facilitates the exploration of novel applications for this robust material. This review highlights cellulose and its derivatives, their biochemical and structural peculiarities, along with their potential uses in drug administration, wound treatment, and tissue engineering. Cellulose can be observed in various structural types of fiber, micro/nanocrystalline cellulose and microfibril/nanofibril based on currently available techniques for determining the physical attributes, morphologies, and dimensions. These diverse cellulose variants arise from the intrinsic heterogeneity of organic material resources as well as the circumstances of biogenesis and degradation that influence the geometry and dimensions of cellulosic particles. Regardless of its immense potential for usage in a variety of sectors, cellulose’s broad application has been primarily confined to commercial applications, with less initial interest in the biomedical space. As a result, this study focuses on recent improvements in the processes for the manufacturing of cellulose and its derivatives resulting in distinctive properties which have pertinent biomedical applications.