Antonius Jimmy Widagdo, Marvel Guntur Wijanarko, Steven Chia, Michael Giovanni Sugiarto, Maria Yuliana, Christian Julius Wijaya, Shella Permatasari Santoso
Showing great promise in the biomedical field due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low cytotoxicity, there has been a growing interest in the use of cellulose-based materials for pharmaceutical applications, including drug delivery, wound healing, and antibacterial agents, in recent years. Cellulose, which can be derived from various biomasses, bacteria, and wastes, is a versatile material that can be modified to have tunable properties, making it a promising substrate for drug carrier development. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the progress of cellulose-based materials in the pharmaceutical field, focusing on recent developments in cellulose-based nanomaterials, hydrogels, and nanocomposites. The three have become a research hotspot in the field of functional materials due to their outstanding characteristics, such as excellent water absorption, biocompatibility, and tunable mechanical properties. This review will also revolve around the development of innovative cellulose-based biomaterials with suitable features in pharmaceutical applications via surface functionalization, as cellulose is known to have several less-favorable properties, i.e., moisture sensitivity, insolubility in water, and most common solvents, and low resistance against microbial attacks. Moreover, the challenges and perspectives of cellulose utilization in the pharmaceutical industry will also be discussed. The chapter will create a strong contribution to the scientific advancement in the related field and will be beneficial to explore their full potential and optimize their properties for pharmaceutical applications. © 2026 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved..
Department of Chemical Engineering, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Surabaya, Indonesia; Chemical Engineering Master's Program, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Surabaya, Indonesia; Collaborative Research Center for Zero Waste and Sustainability, Surabaya, Indonesia