Chitosan-based delivery system for tissue regeneration and chemotherapy

Abstract

A variety of polymeric devices have been widely studied as a means to deliver drugs at an appropriate dosage, delivery sequence, and time period to improve and optimize the treatment. In the conventional therapy of drug administration, a major limitation is the initial burst release of drugs, inducing a rapid loss of therapeutic efficacy and increasing the risk of harmful side effects to patients. As an alternative approach, single or multiple therapeutic agents can be incorporated into an appropriate material to well regulate its residence time and dosages. In this regard, numerous synthetic and natural polymers have been employed as drug carriers to control drug release for a desired administration. Recently, chitosan, a cationic natural polymer, has gained considerably attention due to its potential broad application in tissue regeneration, chemotherapy, and wound healing. In this chapter, chitosan is introduced as a drug carrier in a variety of forms. This chapter discusses several properties of chitosan such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and functionality. It will also discuss techniques for preparation of chitosan-based delivery systems, and strategies of controlled drug release for potential biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, including tissue regeneration, chemotherapy, and wound healing.