The Future Prospects of Microbial Cellulose in Biomedical Applications

• Published in: Biomacromolecules 2007-01, Vol.8 (1), p.1-12
• Main Authors: Czaja, Wojciech K, Young, David J, Kawecki, Marek, Brown, R. Malcolm
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetobacter; Animals; Applied sciences; Bandages, Hydrocolloid; Biological and medical sciences; Biophysics - methods; Cellulose - chemistry; Cellulose and derivatives; Exact sciences and technology; Fermentation; Fibroblasts - metabolism; Humans; Macromolecular Substances - chemistry; Medical sciences; Natural polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polymers - chemistry; Regeneration; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Technology. Biomaterials. Equipments; Tissue Engineering - methods; Wound Healing
• ISSN: 1525-7797; 1526-4602
• DOI: 10.1021/bm060620d

Microbial cellulose has proven to be a remarkably versatile biomaterial and can be used in wide variety of applied scientific endeavors, such as paper products, electronics, acoustics, and biomedical devices. In fact, biomedical devices recently have gained a significant amount of attention because of an increased interest in tissue-engineered products for both wound care and the regeneration of damaged or diseased organs. Due to its unique nanostructure and properties, microbial cellulose is a natural candidate for numerous medical and tissue-engineered applications. For example, a microbial cellulose membrane has been successfully used as a wound-healing device for severely damaged skin and as a small-diameter blood vessel replacement. The nonwoven ribbons of microbial cellulose microfibrils closely resemble the structure of native extracellullar matrices, suggesting that it could function as a scaffold for the production of many tissue-engineered constructs. In addition, microbial cellulose membranes, having a unique nanostructure, could have many other uses in wound healing and regenerative medicine, such as guided tissue regeneration (GTR), periodontal treatments, or as a replacement for dura mater (a membrane that surrounds brain tissue). In effect, microbial cellulose could function as a scaffold material for the regeneration of a wide variety of tissues, showing that it could eventually become an excellent platform technology for medicine. If microbial cellulose can be successfully mass produced, it will eventually become a vital biomaterial and will be used in the creation of a wide variety of medical devices and consumer products.