Cellulose – A Sustainable Material for Biomedical Applications

Cellulose is the most abundantly available organic resource. As a result of its promising features such as high mechanical strength, renewability, biocompatibility, biodegradability and low toxicity, it has been widely explored as an ideal substitute for synthetic polymers, especially in biomedical applications. Some of the interesting outcomes of cellulose in biomedical research include the development of drug delivery systems, production of wound dressing materials, construction of tissue engineering scaffolds, fabrication of wearable electronic biosensors, etc. Moreover, different types of cellulosic materials such as bacterial cellulose (BC), cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and cellulose derivatives have been used in the preparation of drug-carrying hydrogels, biological tissue-mimicking three dimensional (3D) aerogels, blood purifying membranes, etc. Furthermore, special applications of cellulosic materials in the fabrication of ophthalmic scaffolds and skeletal tissue grafts have been reported. On the basis of the preparation of cellulosic materials, there are many pros and cons associated with its suitability for long-term applications. For instance, naturally produced BC is more commonly used for making tissue scaffolds. However, the absence of innate antimicrobial activity in BC warrants suitable modification for its application in medical applications. This chapter broadly reviews the critical aspects involved in the production of various forms of cellulose-based biomaterials and their potential impacts on healthcare.