Recent advancement in Chitosan based formulations and its pharmaceutical application

Abstract

Chitosan is a cationic natural polysaccharide obtained by deacetylation of chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature. Most important characteristics of chitosan are that it is biologically safe, biocompatible, biodegradable polysaccharide and non-toxic natural polymer that exhibits excellent film forming ability. Chitosan and their nanoparticles have gained more attention as drug delivery carriers because of their better stability, low toxicity, simple and mild preparation method. Recent applications of chitosan are in ophthalmic, nasal, sublingual, buccal, periodontal, gastrointestinal, colon-specific, vaginal, transdermal drug delivery and as mucosal-vaccine and gene carrier. The objectives of this review are to summarize the available derivatives of chitosan and formulation based on chitosan and to discuss importance of chitosan in numerous delivery systems.