Chitosan Rheological Behavior in an Acidic Water Mixture for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications

Abstract

The importance of chitosan (CH) has grown significantly over the last two decades due to its renewable and biodegradable source, and also because of the recent increase in the our knowledge of its functionality in technological and biomedical applications. The present article reviews the biopolymer CH and its derivatives, as versatile biomaterials for potential drug delivery systems, as well as tissue engineering applications, analgesia and treatment of arthritis. CH and its derivatives, as natural antimicrobial agents, can be applied in biomedical, biotechnological, and pharmaceutical applications. Its antimicrobial activity depends on many factors such as its molecular size, source, associated components, concentration, and type of microorganism. In our research described here we prepared and characterized the dynamic viscosity and the rheological properties of a biopolymer material based on CH in solution in acidic water. The dynamic viscosity and shear stress were measured under the influence of an increasing CH concentration of 1–10 g/l and an increasing temperature of 288.15–318.15 K.