Recent advances in nanocellulose for biomedical applications

Abstract

Nanocellulose materials have undergone rapid development in recent years as promising biomedical materials because of their excellent physical and biological properties, in particular their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low cytotoxicity. Recently, a significant amount of research has been directed toward the fabrication of advanced cellulose nanofibers with different morphologies and functional properties. These nanocellulose fibers are widely applied in medical implants, tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound-healing, cardiovascular applications, and other medical applications. In this review, we reflect on recent advancements in the design and fabrication of advanced nanocellulose-based biomaterials (cellulose nanocrystals, bacterial nanocellulose, and cellulose nanofibrils) that are promising for biomedical applications and discuss material requirements for each application, along with the challenges that the materials might face. Finally, we give an overview on future directions of nanocellulose-based materials in the biomedical field.

Producing ultrapure wood cellulose nanofibrils and evaluating the cytotoxicity using human skin cells

“…In order to facilitate the wound healing process, a range of natural biomaterials have been developed, based on cellulose, alginate, collagen and chitin, among others (Nakagawa et al, 2003). Bacterial cellulose is produced by some types of bacteria, such as Gluconacetobacter (Inder & Brown, 2012), and has been suggested for various medical applications, such as wound dressings (Czaja, Krystynowicz, Bielecki & Brown Jr, 2006;Jorfi & Foster, 2015;Petersen & Gatenholm, 2011;Portal, Clark & Levinson, 2009). The production is currently not economically competitive compared with other more established polymers in most applications (Dana & Nadine, 2012).…”

Toxicity of Cellulose Nanocrystals: A Review

“…The literature on cellulosic nanomaterial toxicity has recently been summarized in two review articles covering the use of cellulosic nanomaterials in biomedicine. 8,9 The present review provides a more in-depth look at the effects of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) on human health.…”

Nanomaterials, Scaffolds, and Skin Tissue Regeneration

“…Scaffolds prepared by electrospinning performed better than evaporated fi lms or xerogels prepared from the same materials. The same observation was made when fi lms were prepared by casting, using two polymers, cellulose and chitosan [ 31 ].…”