Recent Advances on Cellulose-Based Nano-Drug Delivery Systems: Design of Prodrugs and Nanoparticles.

Cellulose being the first abundant biopolymers in nature is playing an increasing role as a carrier material in the biomedicine field. Compared with other materials, cellulose has its own advantages, including rich in resources, good thermal and chemical stability, high hydrophilicity, and excellent biocompatibility, etc. These fascinating properties have made cellulose a real potential material to create nano-drug delivery systems. However, the structure of pure cellulose caused some inherent shortcomings, for instance, bad plasticity and dimensional stability, poor solubility in ordinary solvents, and lack of antibacterial activity. Therefore, it is indispensable to modify the morphology and microstructure of cellulose. This review presents some remarkable recent advances on the drug delivery applications of cellulose-based prodrugs and nanoparticles. Various methods employed for the functionalization, pharmacodynamic actions and applications are covered.