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Chitosan as Functional Biomaterial for Designing Delivery Systems in Cardiac Therapies
Bhaumik Patel1, Ravi Manne2, Devang B Patel3
1Product Development, Cure Pharmaceutical Corporation, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA.
Insights
Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide, shows promise in cardiac tissue engineering for repairing heart damage. It acts as a scaffold for drug and stem cell delivery, aiding in cardiomyocyte differentiation and overcoming cardiovascular disease barriers.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases are a major global health concern, with limited options for repairing damaged heart tissue.
- Current treatments, including transplant surgeries, face challenges due to the inability to fully replace compromised cardiac structures.
- Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide, is a versatile biomaterial with significant potential in biomedical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in cardiac tissue engineering utilizing chitosan.
- To explore chitosan's role in overcoming barriers associated with cardiovascular diseases.
- To highlight chitosan's application in drug and stem cell delivery for cardiac repair.
Main Methods:
- Review of in vitro and in vivo studies on chitosan-based materials for cardiac applications.
- Analysis of chitosan's properties as a biomaterial substrate.
- Examination of chitosan's efficacy in drug delivery systems, scaffolds, and carriers for stem cell therapy.
Main Results:
- Chitosan-based technologies facilitate drug and stem cell delivery for repairing myocardial infarction and other cardiac conditions.
- Chitosan scaffolds provide mechanical stability and mimic native collagen, promoting stem cell differentiation into cardiomyocytes.
- Chitosan demonstrates significant potential in various cardiac tissue engineering strategies.
Conclusions:
- Chitosan is a promising biomaterial for cardiac tissue engineering, offering innovative solutions for cardiovascular disease treatment.
- Its ability to support stem cell differentiation and act as a delivery vehicle makes it valuable for regenerative cardiology.
- Further research into chitosan-based therapies can lead to improved outcomes for patients with heart conditions.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of mortality across the globe, and transplant surgeries are not always successful since it is not always possible to replace most of the damaged heart tissues, for example in myocardial infarction. Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide, is an important biomaterial for many biomedical and pharmaceutical industries. Based on the origin, degree of deacetylation, structure, and biological functions, chitosan has emerged for vital tissue engineering applications. Recent studies reported that chitosan coupled with innovative technologies helped to load or deliver drugs or stem cells to repair the damaged heart tissue not just in a myocardial infarction but even in other cardiac therapies. Herein, we outlined the latest advances in cardiac tissue engineering mediated by chitosan overcoming the barriers in cardiac diseases. We reviewed in vitro and in vivo data reported dealing with drug delivery systems, scaffolds, or carriers fabricated using chitosan for stem cell therapy essential in cardiac tissue engineering. This comprehensive review also summarizes the properties of chitosan as a biomaterial substrate having sufficient mechanical stability that can stimulate the native collagen fibril structure for differentiating pluripotent stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells into cardiomyocytes for cardiac tissue engineering.
