Chitosan and Its Derivatives as Promising Drug Delivery Carriers: Biomedical & Nanomedical Technologies Concise Monographs

In this monograph, recent studies on the various types of chitosan microspheres are discussed from the viewpoint of drug delivery applications. Moreover, different types of chitosan derivatives developed as controlled drug delivery carriers and their preparation methods are discussed in detail. The modifications discussed here include amphiphilic chitosan derivatives, N-(aminoalkyl) chitosan, carboxymethyl chitosan, thiolated chitosans, phosphorylated chitosan, etc. Special emphasis has been given to the development of chitosan-based polyelectrolyte complexes, graft copolymerized chitosan and chitosan-based stimuli-responsive hydrogels as drug delivery carriers. The reviewed studies lead to the conclusion that chitosan derivatives are promising materials for the controlled delivery of various types of therapeutic agents.