Chitosan microspheres for the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents: Paclitaxel as a model

Abstract

Chitosan has unique physicochemical and biological features that suggest it as a good candidate for the development of safe and effective drug delivery systems. Linking drug molecules with chitosan through a functional spacer enables formulation of prodrugs that have appropriate pharmacological activities at specific desired sites. The development of formulations of targeted delivery systems for the chemotherapeutic agents, especially those with unfavorable pharmacokinetic features, like paclitaxel (PTX), can potentially alleviate the systemic cytotoxicity as well as directing therapy to the specific lesions. The main aim of this literature review is to critically evaluate the use of chitosan microspheres as a drug delivery system to enhance PTX distribution and efficacy in specific targeted sites.