Chitosan applications on pharmaceutical sciences: A review

NIEVA, CINTIA ALEJANDRA BRIONES; VILLEGAS, MERCEDES; CID, ALICIA GRACIELA; ROMERO, ANALÍA IRMA; BERMÚDEZ, JOSÉ MARÍA

Drug Delivery Letters

Bentham Sceince Publishers

Lugar: Sharjah; Año: 2019 vol. 09 p. 167 - 181

2210-3031

Chitosan (CS) is a biomaterial derived from chitin, known for its excellent biological properties. One of the most interesting features of CS is its potential for chemical derivatization, which makes it a versatile material and allows to expand its applications. In the last years, the interest on this polymer and its pharmaceutical applications has notably increased. This biopolymer is being widely studied for its interesting properties, such as bioadhesion, antimicrobial activity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Other promising properties of CS include its modulation of immunological response, hemostasis, and wound and bone healing activity. Despite all the qualities of this polymer, there are only few CS -based products on the market, so it is a priority to enhance the research to develop new technologies and CS based systems to enforce this biopolymer in the industry. In this work, a critical review is performed covering its conventional and novel applications, specially focused on pharmaceutical area, providing a clear picture of the current state of art to serve as a basis to direct future research in this field.