Chitosan: A Natural Polymer for Health
Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: This review aim to present recent research trends and prospects in chitosan with special emphasis highlighting some of its special pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Chitosan is one of the natural multifunctional polymers with unique and versatile properties. It is well-known for its significant biological and chemical properties. It is regarded as a useful compound in medical and pharmaceutical technology; widely used in nanomedicine, biomedical engineering and development of new therapeutic drug delivery systems with enhanced bioavailability, specificity and reduced pharmacological toxicity. Extensive applications of polymers in drug delivery have been realized because polymers offer unique properties which so far have not been attained by any other materials. Chitosan is very useful in everyday life in adsorption, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, flocculants, anticancer and antimicrobial. The pharmaceutical industry is currently busy with variety of problems, e.g. capsule shell. The main ingredient of making current commercial capsule shell is gelatin; chitosan can be processed into capsule shell giving succor to this problem. Chitosan in modern industry is widely useful in food, detergents, textiles, leather, paper, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industries
Authors: E. D. Paul, Zaharaddeen N. Garba, D. James
Institution: Ahmadu Bello University
Language: English
Subfield: Pharmaceutical Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2905993347