Title:Mucoadhesive Chitosan Derivatives as Novel Drug Carriers
Volume: 21
Issue: 29
Author(s): Mohammad Ariful Islam, Tae-Eun Park, Emma Reesor, Kondareddy Cherukula, Anwarul Hasan, Jannatul Firdous, Bijay Singh, Sang-Kee Kang, Yun-Jaie Choi, In-Kyu Park and Chong-Su Cho
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Chemically-modified chitosan, mucoadhesive drug carrier, chitosan nanoparticle, chitosan nanogel, drug delivery.
Abstract: Chitosan on its own is a well-established natural polymer and is widely regarded as a biodegradable, biocompatible and nontoxic
material for drug delivery applications. Although unmodified chitosan has some mucoadhesive properties on its own, its bioavailability
is limited due to its short retention time in the body. Moreover, the high solubility of chitosan at acidic pH levels limits its use for
mucosal drug delivery (especially through the oral route). Chemically-modified mucoadhesive chitosan, especially thiolated chitosan, has
arisen as an alternative to create novel mucosal drug delivery systems. The mucoadhesive properties that are conferred to the thiolated
chitosan certainly set this novel class of second or third-generation thiomers apart. To understand the significance of mucoadhesive chitosan,
we first present the mechanism of mucoadhesion and provide comprehensive coverage of description of a variety of chemical modifications
to prepare mucoadhesive thiolated chitosan derivatives. We then present the plethora of applications of these modified chitosan
variants in a wide range of drug delivery fields, including the delivery of antigens, proteins and genes through a variety of routes, including
oral, nasal, pulmonary, vaginal and others. By presenting the range of applications for mucoadhesive chitosan drug carriers we herein
demonstrate that chemically-modified thiolated chitosan is a versatile and effective material for a new class of drug delivery vehicles.
