Recent advances on sustainable cellulosic materials for pharmaceutical carrier applications

Natural cellulose is a kind of both traditional and emerging multifunctional material with high surface area, high strength, flexibility, and tunable surface chemistry, intensifying the quest for various products with properties that can mimic natural designs, functions, and properties in biomaterials, cosmetics, and food products. This review summarizes the modification methods of cellulose, preparation methods, physical and chemical properties and the possible applications of cellulose-based materials as pharmaceutical carriers. Herein, its main forms such as hydrogel, aerogel, and biomineral, and recent advances on sustainable cellulosic materials for pharmaceutical carrier applications were compared. The ongoing developments and challenges of cellulose-based materials in the biomedical field were discussed, and some possible suggestions were put forward.