Sustainable Bacterial Cellulose‐Based Biomaterials: Merging Nanotechnology and Biomedicine for Enhanced Burn Wound Therapy

ABSTRACT Bacterial cellulose (BC) has emerged as a structurally advanced and multifunctional biomaterial for burn wound management owing to its nanofibrillar architecture, high purity, biocompatibility, and exceptional water‐retention capacity. This review critically examines the mechanistic role of BC in wound healing, emphasizing its extracellular matrix‐mimicking properties, inflammation modulation, exudate regulation, and capacity to support cellular adhesion, proliferation, angiogenesis, and tissue remodelling. Extensive emphasis is placed on the design and therapeutic performance of functionalized BC systems, including nanoparticle‐integrated, phytochemical‐loaded, antibiotic‐functionalized, chemically modified, and cell‐laden scaffolds. These engineered platforms enhance antimicrobial efficacy, antioxidant activity, controlled drug release, and regenerative signaling pathways, including VEGF‐mediated angiogenesis and collagen deposition. Comparative analysis further reveals important trade‐offs between antimicrobial potency, cytocompatibility, mechanical stability, and translational feasibility across different BC‐based systems. Despite promising preclinical and clinical outcomes, challenges related to cytotoxicity, reproducibility, release kinetics, large‐scale manufacturing, and regulatory standardization continue to limit clinical translation. Collectively, BC‐based biomaterials represent a promising platform for next‐generation burn wound therapies, particularly through the development of multifunctional and stimuli‐responsive systems that integrate antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, and regenerative functionalities within a clinically translatable framework.