Oxidized Regenerated Cellulose-Based Biomaterial and Its Application in Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Injured tissues and organs are an importantly issues in healthcare, which, in some cases, cannot be addressed using traditional medical intervention [1,2]. There is a require for a new kinds of biomaterial with suitable properties for tissue engineering, derived from a sustainable source, and which needs minimal processing to obtain cell viability for biomedical application [3,4]. Oxidized regenerated cellulose-based biomaterials has the potential to be satisfied with these requirements. Regenerated cellulose is a kind of materials processed by the conversion of natural cellulose to a soluble cellulosic derivative and subsequent regeneration, typically forming either a fiber (via polymer spinning) or a film (via polymer casting) [5,6]. Regenerated cellulose can be used as a functionally active biomolecule which primarily due to the abundant hydroxyl groups in the cellulose molecule, oxidized to obtain the oxidation regenerated cellulose-based materials with varying multiple structures and performance to act as a platform for advanced tissue engineering [7,8]. Selective oxidation of regenerated cellulose not only transforms the structure of regenerate cellulose, but also provides many new functions to oxidized regenerated cellulose-based biomaterials [9,10]. Importantly, oxidized regenerated cellulose has aldehyde group and carboxyl group in the molecular chain which can react with other groups of functional materials and biological activity material [11,12] and improve the advantage of the oxidized regenerated cellulose in biomedical field. Furthermore, oxidized regenerated cellulose produce new function like natural degradation greatly expand the application field of the cellulose (green renewable materials). Oxidized regenerated cellulose-based biomaterials can be made to the biomedical textiles such as suture [13], hemostatic gauze [12] and wound dressing [14,15]. In order form the absorbable biomaterial, the regenerated cellulose need be oxidized nitrogen tetroxide (N 2 O 4 ) or nitroxyl radicals, such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpyperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO). During this oxidation process, we can obtain the oxidized regenerated cellulose with difference carboxyl contents which can improve the antibacterial and biodegradable of oxidized regenerated cellulose-based biomaterials. For degradation process of oxidized regenerated cellulose, it can dissolve and disappearing from the site of implantation by firstly hydrating and swelling into a gel-like material Importantly, the oxidized regenerated cellulose-based biomaterials can perform an appropriate host response in a specific application which mainly attribute to the characteristics of non-toxic and good biocompatibility. Due to the obviously