Abstract
Chitosan is a biodegradable natural polymer with many advantages such as nontoxicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. It can be applied in many fields, especially in medicine. As a delivery carrier, it has great potential and cannot be compared with other polymers. Chitosan is extremely difficult to solubilize in water, but it can be solubilized in acidic solution. Its insolubility in water is a major limitation for its use in medical applications. Chitosan derivatives can be obtained by chemical modification using such techniques as acylation, alkylation, sulfation, hydroxylation, quaternization, esterification, graft copolymerization, and etherification. Modified chitosan has chemical properties superior to unmodified chitosan. For example, nanoparticles produced from chitosan derivatives can be used to deliver drugs due to their stability and biocompatibility. This review mainly focuses on the properties of chitosan, chitosan derivatives, and the origin of chitosan-based nanoparticles. In addition, applications of chitosan-based nanoparticles in drug delivery, vaccine delivery, antimicrobial applications, and callus and tissue regeneration are also presented. In summary, nanoparticles based on chitosan have great potential for research and development of new nano vaccines and nano drugs in the future.
Highlights
Polymer nanoparticles are extensively applied in the biomedical field as tools in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases [1]
N-2-HFCC can adhere on the mucosal surface of the respiratory tract, N-2-HFCC nanoparticles exhibited higher loading ability and embedding ratio when used to gastrointestinal tract, and urinary tract, which promotes the absorption of N-2-HFCC
Plasmid DNA encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles was produced by an intricate coagulation process, and the results showed that the plasmid DNA was effectively enclosed in chitosan nanoparticles and expressed in vivo [81]
Summary
Polymer nanoparticles are extensively applied in the biomedical field as tools in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases [1]. Polymer nanoparticles can encapsulate drugs on their surfaces The ability of these polymer-based nanoparticles to target molecules with specific receptors on the cell surface and to enter cells can aid in a more secured and efficient delivery of targeted drugs and in gene therapy [2]. Polymer nanoparticles, especially those with hydrophilic surfaces, are widely used as carriers due to their very small nonspecific protein adsorption properties. Chitosan nanoparticles can improve the body’s immune function to achieve antitumor activity [5] Due to their good biocompatibility and biodegradability and their ease of modification, chitosan nanoparticles are used as drug carriers [6]. Chitosan nanoparticles have an extensive use in drug and vaccine delivery, as vaccine adjuvant, as an antimicrobial, in tissue engineering, and in other applications
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