Pharmacological and biological effects of chitosan

This article is devoted to the analysis and synthesis of published data of the structure, physicochemical properties, sources of production and biological effects of chitosan, which is relevant, since over the past 10 years there has been a significant increase in the number of scientific publications on this polymer1, which indicates the prospects for further research in this direction. Particular attention is paid in this article to the pharmacological properties of chitosan and their mechanisms, namely: wound healing, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and lipid-lowering, antibacterial and other effects. In general, the analysis of published data indicates the prospects for the development of new drugs containing chitosan.