General scenarios of cellulose and its use in the biomedical field

Abstract Cellulose is a naturally abundant organic polymer used by many researchers in establishing various biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity, and excellent physical, chemical and mechanical properties. In this review, we focused on general aspects such as sources, structure, and properties of cellulose, nanocellulose, types of cellulose nanocomposites, etc. The incorporation of nanoobjects of cellulose in biomedical applications, viz., drug delivery, targeted drug delivery, and wound healing, was reviewed extensively. The microencapsulation and three-dimensional (3D) printing using cellulose nanomaterials also have been reviewed. As a final note, we discussed and reviewed the future aspects of cellulose nanomaterials or nanocellulose in biomedical engineering applications.