Cellulose-based nanomaterials in drug delivery applications

Abstract The low aqueous solubility and poor stability of drugs under physiological conditions are significant challenges in successful formulation development. Nano-drug delivery systems show great potential to overcome these existing challenges and to eventually enhance the bioavailability of their cargos. Additionally, these nanomedicines offer site-specific and controlled delivery of therapeutic agents. The success of nanotechnology is evident by the number of outstanding nanomedicines currently on the market or in the different phases of clinical trials. Cellulose and its derivatives have gained increasing attention in designing nanomedicines due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, nontoxicity, and low-cost production from renewable resources. It has several functional groups that can be easily modified to achieve target specificity, pH sensitivity, and sustained action, making them suitable for biomedical applications, particularly in drug delivery. In this book chapter, the source, general physicochemical properties, different structural derivatives of cellulose, and the applications of its nanomaterials in drug delivery are discussed.