12 - Production of chitosan-based hydrogels for biomedical applications

Abstract

Chitosan is a polysaccharide that contains many polar functionalities like amino and OH groups, which make the polymer hydrophilic and amenable to forming 3-D structures. Chitosan-based hydrogels are capable of absorbing large quantities of water while retaining structural features. Using a variety of strategies based on ionic, polyelectrolyte, chemical modification, and interpenetrating network techniques, chitosan-based hydrogels have been designed and investigated to deliver therapeutics to the site of action in a controlled manner. Recent years have witnessed a tremendous growth of chitosan-based hydrogel materials in micro- and nanosized configurations that find immense applications in biomedical areas such as drug delivery, wound healing, and tissue engineering. This chapter covers the state-of-the-art technology in producing these materials and discusses their importance in biomedicine and tissue engineering.