Title:Chitosan: A Propitious Biopolymer for Drug Delivery
Volume: 12
Issue: 4
Author(s): Dibyangana S. Duttagupta, Varsha M. Jadhav and Vilasrao J. Kadam
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Biocompatible, biodegradable, chitosan, controlled release, drug delivery, mucoadhesive character.
Abstract: Scientists have always been interested in the use of natural polymers for drug delivery. Chitosan,
being a natural cationic polysaccharide has received a great deal of attention in the past few
years. It is obtained by deacetylation of chitin and is regarded as the second most ubiquitous polymer
subsequent to cellulose on earth. Unlike other natural polymers, the cationic charge possessed by chitosan
is accountable for imparting interesting physical and chemical properties. Chitosan has been widely exploited for its
mucoadhesive character, permeation enhancing properties and controlled release of drugs. Moreover it’s non-toxic, biocompatible
and biodegradable properties make it a good candidate for novel drug delivery system. This review provides
an insight on various chitosan based formulations for drug delivery. Some of the current applications of chitosan in areas
like ophthalmic, nasal, buccal, sublingual, gastro-retentive, pulmonary, transdermal, colon-specific and vaginal drug delivery
have been discussed. In addition, active targeting of drugs to tumor cells using chitosan has been described. Lastly a
brief section covering the safety aspects of chitosan has also been reviewed.
