An Insight into the Biomedical Applications of Cellulose Nanofibrils

Section: Reviews
Keywords: biopolymer, Scaffolds, Nanocellulose, cellulose nanofibers, glycoproteins

Nanocellulose (NC) Scaffolds are natural organic moieties with superb chemo-mechanical properties. Owing to their water retention, water absorption, and optical transparency, they exhibit excellent biocompatibility. Current book chapter delineates the biomedical applications of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) as scaffold materials.  Various aspects such as drug delivery, tissue engineering and bone regeneration have been systematically discussed. Low toxicity and very mild risks to living cells of CNFs encourages scientific community to explore its application in broad spectrum. Highly porous aerogels, obtained by freeze-drying techniques of CNFs, serve as remarkable scaffolds in cancer therapy. Simultaneously bone tissue engineering have witnessed excellent use of fabricated electrospun cellulose/nano-hydroxyappetite nanofibers (ECHNN).