Abstract Cellulose and starch, the predominant natural polysaccharides, demonstrate remarkable biocompatibility, biodegradability, and customisable characteristics suitable for sophisticated biomedical applications. This review comprehensively analyses the unique molecular structures—linear β-1,4-glucan chains in cellulose compared to amylose/amylopectin in starch—along with essential physicochemical properties such as crystallinity, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophilicity. It also investigates modification techniques including chemical derivatisation (e.g., carboxymethylation, TEMPO oxidation), enzymatic hydrolysis, and mechanical nanofibrillation to improve mechanical strength, swelling capacity, and bioactivity. These biopolymers facilitate various applications, such as moisture-retaining wound dressings, extracellular matrix-resembling tissue engineering scaffolds, pH-responsive hydrogels, nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery, antimicrobial composites incorporating silver nanoparticles, and regenerative medicine frameworks for the repair of bone, skin, and tendons. The integration of nanotechnology, green chemistry, and composites such as bacterial cellulose-graphene oxide produces sustainable, multifunctional biomaterials that exhibit enhanced effectiveness in wound healing, targeted therapeutics, and diagnostics, while connecting food science and biomedicine through food-grade safety standards. Despite advancements, enduring issues include long-term stability under sterilisation, batch repeatability, regulatory obstacles for clinical translation, and the equilibrium between deterioration and mechanical integrity. Future efforts emphasise structure-property-performance modelling, scalable 3D/4D printing of stimuli-responsive hybrids, and in vivo validation to replace synthetic alternatives, promoting environmentally sustainable advances in regenerative therapies.
Qadir et al. (Mon,) studied this question.