Bacterial cellulose-based scaffold materials for bone tissue engineering

Abstract The qualities of polymer based biomaterials in facilitating bone regeneration process through tissue engineering have attracted the attention of researchers. Biomaterials with properties that can be manipulated to mimic the three-dimensional architecture of extracellular matrix (ECM) of the native bone tissues, with mechanical properties required for scaffold, biodegradability, excellent biocompatibility and non-toxicity are required. The unique qualities of bacterial cellulose (BC) including biocompatibility, good mechanical strength, microporosity and biodegradability with its unique surface chemistry make it ideally suitable for bone regeneration applications. The ease of being manipulated to mimic any form and structure make it good scaffold biomaterial to incorporate other nanoparticles for cell proliferation and differentiation for timely osseointegration and bone ingrowth. This review detailed requirements of scaffold materials for bone tissue engineering, provides comprehensive knowledge and highlights of current research on bacterial cellulose composites used for tissue engineering and the potentials of bacterial cellulose for bone regeneration including other nanoparticles incorporated.