Progresses in targeted drug delivery systems using chitosan nanoparticles in cancer therapy: A mini-review

Abstract

Chitosan, de-acetylated form of chitin and the amino polysaccharide, is one of the most suitable biopolymer with vast possibilities of chemical modifications for novel properties and nano-medicine generations in biomedical fields. The primary amine groups in chitosan are responsible for its various properties such as cationic nature, controlled drug release, muco-adhesion, in situ gelation, antimicrobial and permeation enhancement.Chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) are commonly used as drug carriers since they have good biocompatibility, biodegradability and loading capacity. These NPs also show low toxicity and can be readily modified by simple reactions. Chitosan NPs are widely used as drug delivery systems since they are able to load a wide range of natural and chemical agents including proteins, oligosaccharide, and anticancer drugs. In additions, chitosan NPs can be applied via various routes of administration as nasal, intravenous, oral and ocular.NPs can potentially target specific tissues; hence, cell specific targeting of NPs seems to be a promising way to increase local drug concentration, prevent non-specific interactions and decrease the toxicity and side effects of systemic administration. Targeted delivery can be achieved by modifying NPs using peptides, antibodies, aptamer or small molecules. These strategies of targeting NPs not only cause the lower dosage of required drugs, but also lead them achieving to the receptors.The present review aims to show the features of chitosan NPs which are rapidly developing field of nanotechnology and their potential applications in targeted drug delivery. This review presents a broad view of chitosan NPs, discussing their types such as antibody, magnetic and pH sensitive conjugated chitosan.