Chitosan: A review on properties, biological activities and recent progress in biomedical applications

Chitosan is a naturally occurring amino polysaccharide obtained by deacetylation of chitin and is second most commonly used natural polymer. Its non-toxic, biocompatibility and biodegradability properties have prompted extensive research into several applications. Additionally, chitosan has important intrinsic properties like mucoadhesion, permeation enhancer, and antimicrobial properties. The amino and hydroxyl groups of chitosan are essential for its properties like mucoadhesion, permeation enhancement, controlled drug release, in situ gelation, and antimicrobial. The insolubility of chitosan in water and most organic solvents has limited its use in many fields. Hence, chitosan derivatives are synthesized by chemically modifying chitosan. Chemical modification of chitosan enhances its physicochemical properties and extends the variety of applications. Chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) are safe and effective nanocarrier systems showing controlled drug release and targeted drug delivery. CSNPs have versatile biomedical applications in therapeutics and drug delivery. Due to diverse physicochemical properties of chitosan and its derivatives, it has significant potential for applications in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields. The present review highlights a comprehensive information about the properties and bioactivities of chitosan and its derivative-based nanomaterials for drug delivery, gene therapy, vaccine delivery, tissue engineering, diagnosis and other biomedical applications.