Cellulose-Based Hydrogels for Chronic Wound Healing: Bridging Biomaterial Design and Clinical Unmet Needs

Chronic wounds remain a persistent clinical challenge, trapped in a cycle of inflammation, infection, and impaired healing. While traditional dressings offer basic protection, they fail to address the complex pathophysiology of non-healing wounds. This review critically examines cellulose-based hydrogels as next-generation therapeutic platforms, analyzing their structure-property relationships, biofunctionalization strategies, and stimuli-responsive capabilities. We synthesize recent advances in antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and pro-regenerative hydrogels, highlighting how cellulose's inherent tunability enables precision wound management. Finally, we confront the translational barriers-including scalability, sterilization, and regulatory hurdles-that must be overcome to bridge the gap between promising biomaterial research and clinical reality. By integrating materials science with wound pathophysiology, this review provides a roadmap for developing clinically viable cellulose-based hydrogels.