Customizing nano-chitosan for sustainable drug delivery

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Drug Delivery

Background:

• Chitosan, a natural polymer, offers biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical stability, making it promising for drug and gene delivery.
• Existing research lacks a comprehensive assessment of tailored chitosan cross-linkers and complex chitosan-based interpenetrating networks for drug delivery systems (DDSs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review fabrication methods for chitosan hydrogels, focusing on cross-linkers and interpenetrating networks for DDSs.
• To discuss recent advances in advanced chitosan hydrogels for specific drug delivery applications.
• To identify future research directions for chitosan-based DDSs.

Main Methods:

• Review of fabrication methods for chitosan hydrogels, including crosslinking with various agents (e.g., tripolyphosphate, genipin, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, epoxides).
• Analysis of methods for modifying chitosan hydrogel properties through composite production (semi- and full-interpenetrating networks).
• Discussion of recent literature on advanced chitosan hydrogels for oral, transdermal, and cancer therapy drug delivery.

Main Results:

• Various cross-linkers and fabrication techniques are effective in developing chitosan hydrogels for DDSs.
• Chitosan-based semi- and full-interpenetrating networks offer enhanced properties for drug delivery.
• Advanced chitosan hydrogels show significant potential in oral, transdermal, and cancer therapy applications.

Conclusions:

• Chitosan hydrogels, particularly those utilizing tailored cross-linkers and interpenetrating network structures, are highly versatile for diverse drug delivery applications.
• Further research is needed to fully realize the potential of chitosan-based materials in advanced DDSs.
• This review provides a roadmap for future development in chitosan-based drug delivery systems.