Recent advance in delivery system and tissue engineering applications of chondroitin sulfate

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is a naturally derived bioactive macromolecule and the major component of extracellular matrix (ECM), which widely distributed in various organisms and has attracted much attention due to their significant bioactivities. It is regarded as a favorable biomaterial that has been applied extensively in field of drug delivery and tissue engineering due to its property of non-poisonous, biodegradation, biocompatible and as a major component of ECM. The present article reviews the structure and bioactivities of CS, from the preparation to structure analysis, and emphatically focuses on the biomaterial exertion in delivery system and tissue engineering. At the same time, the present application status and prospect of CS are analyzed and the biomaterial exertion of CS in delivery system and various tissue engineering are also comparatively discussed in view of biomaterial development.