Nanocellulose,
as a promising natural material, has recently received
much attention because of its remarkable features including recyclability,
biocompatibility, low risk of toxicity, and tunable surface properties.
This review article first introduces three types of nanocellulose
(nanocrystalline, nanofibrillar, and bacterial) and evaluates their
production processes. In addition, contemporary research is discussed
in the formulations of nanoparticles, tablets, hydrogels, and aerogels.
As reported in the literature, the release time of nanocellulose-based
systems varies from a few minutes to several days as they provide
a controlled and sustained release. Thus, such systems have shown
considerable potential for developing a novel generation of controlled
drug delivery for different routes of administration (oral, transdermal,
etc.). This review facilitates the selection of proper source and
processing techniques for nanocellulose production while addressing
opportunities and challenges ahead ending up with identifying sustainable
ongoing research directions into its applications in drug delivery.
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