40. Cellulose-Based Hydrogels in Topical Drug Delivery: A Challenge in Medical Devices

Drug delivery is a difficult task in the field of dermal therapeutics mainly in the treatment of burns, ulcers, and wounds. Therefore, fundamental research and the development of novel advanced biomaterials as hydrogels are ongoing to overcome these issues. Currently, several approaches are starting to emerge aiming the stabilization of drug loaded in hydrogel material by increasing the mutual interactions between the polymers, the polymers, and the drug and by covalently cross-linking the polymers during hydrogel formation. Hydrogels provide mechanical support and control over architecture, topography, and biochemical characteristics that make them functionally appropriate to biomedical materials. In this regard, cellulose-based biomaterials can be considered as a gold standard for many topical pharmaceutical applications because of their versatility in fabrication, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. In open wounds, a curative ideal hydrogel is proposed for occlusion and maintenance of the moist environment. Healing through the wet medium has comparative advantages such as preventing dehydration of tissue leading to cell death, stimulating epithelization and formation of granulation tissue, facilitating the removal of necrotic tissue and fibrin, serving as a protective barrier against microorganism, and avoiding excessive fluid loss and can still take drugs. On the other hand, another recent challenge is the use of hydrogel in the manufacture of microneedles. The microneedles are able to, with little force, penetrate effectively in the tissues, maintaining the continuous contact, without causing damages in the tissue, providing a high force of adhesion. These devices may be an alternative to the infection-resistant staples used in surgeries to attach skin grafts to patients with severe wounds resulting from burns and to be used in drug release. In this chapter, we discuss recent developments in cellulose-based hydrogels with respect to drug delivery and current applications in the new devices and research settings for infections, inflammations, skin burns, and wound treatment.