Abstract
Natural polymers have been extensively explored as the vehicles for encapsulation and delivery of drugs and other bioactive molecules, which have attracted tremendous attention. Their inherent advantages in marvelous biocompatibility, controlled enzyme degradation, specific interactions with some biomolecules, and easy modification endow them with versatility in drug delivery. In this perspective, the drug delivery systems (DDS) constructed by representative natural polymers, polysaccharides (chitosan and hyaluronic acid) and proteins (silk fibroin and collagen), are generally summarized. Payloads mainly involve small molecular weight drug, proteins, and DNA for the applications of tissue engineering, wound healing or anticancer therapy. Moreover, the DDS constructed by their derivatives and with other materials also have been presented focusing on the chemical and morphological modifications, the addtions of smart stimuli-triggered or targeted motifs and so on, which evidently promoted the delivery and therapy efficiency. Obviously, more intelligent and specific delivery strategies will be developed and more multifunctional natural polymers based carriers will be expended in the future. We try to seek more insights into the evolution of delivery system so as to figure out what we will truly gain in the next few decades to come.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.