Chitosan modified by organo-functionalities as an efficient nanoplatform for anti-cancer drug delivery process

Advances in Stimuli-Responsive Chitosan Hydrogels for Drug Delivery Systems

Sustainable and controllable drug transport is one of the most efficient ways of disease treatment. Due to high biocompatibility, good biodegradability, and low costs, chitosan and its derivatives are widely used in biomedical fields. Specifically, chitosan hydrogel enables drugs to pass through biological barriers because of their abundant amino and hydroxyl groups that can interact with human tissues. Moreover, the multi-responsive nature (pH, temperature, ions strength, and magnetic field, etc.) of chitosan hydrogels makes precise drug release a possibility. Here, the synthesis methods, modification strategies, stimuli-responsive mechanisms of chitosan-based hydrogels, and their recent progress in drug delivery are summarized. Chitosan hydrogels that carry and release drugs through subcutaneous (dealing with wound dressing), oral (dealing with gastrointestinal tract), and facial (dealing with ophthalmic, ear, and brain) are reviewed. Finally, challenges toward clinic application and the future prospects of stimuli-responsive chitosan-based hydrogels are indicated.

Impacts of chitosan and its nanoformulations on the metabolic syndromes: a review

A significant public health issue worldwide is metabolic syndrome, a cluster of metabolic illnesses that comprises insulin resistance, obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension. The creation of natural treatments and preventions for metabolic syndrome is crucial. Chitosan, along with its nanoformulations, is an oligomer of chitin, the second-most prevalent polymer in nature, which is created via deacetylation. Due to its plentiful biological actions in recent years, chitosan and its nanoformulations have drawn much interest. Recently, the chitosan nanoparticle-based delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 has been applied in treating metabolic syndromes. The benefits of chitosan and its nanoformulations on insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension will be outlined in the present review, highlighting potential mechanisms for the avoidance and medication of the metabolic syndromes by chitosan and its nanoformulations.

Dual-drug (Curcumin/Ciprofloxacin) loading and release from chitosan-based hydrogels embedded with magnetic Montmorillonite/Hyaluronic acid for enhancing wound healing

Montmorillonite (MMt) is extensively applied as an efficient drug-carrier in designing drug delivery systems (DDS) due to its high specific surface area to load drugs. Modification of MMt via iron (Fe) blending can thus be a desirable method to improve its biocompatibility. Herein, magnetic nano-carriers involving the magnetic MMt (mMMt) core surrounded by chitosan (Chito) as a biopolymer and hyaluronic acid (HA) were prepared. To coat the mMMt fabricated through the coprecipitation of the Fe3+/Fe2+ ions in the presence of MMt, the acquired mMMt as the core was then treated with the Chito/HA solution to induce the cross-linked Chito/HA as the shell (namely, the Chito/HA-mMMt). The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results accordingly revealed the existence of the mMMt inside the Chito/HA solution. Curcumin (CUR) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) were further employed as two model drugs. The CUR and CIP release from the Chito/HA-mMMt subsequently occurred in a sustained manner and pH-dependently. Additionally, an upsurge in the CUR and CIP release by applying an external magnetic field was observed. Thus, the prepared Chito/HA-mMMt hydrogels promise an outstanding potential performance in terms of expanding novel pH-dependent DDS with a sustained release behavior. The scratch assay of the given hydrogels also confirms their applications for wound healing.

Amelioration of Cancer Employing Chitosan, Its Derivatives, and Chitosan-Based Nanoparticles: Recent Updates

The limitations associated with the conventional treatment of cancer have necessitated the design and development of novel drug delivery systems based mainly on nanotechnology. These novel drug delivery systems include various kinds of nanoparticles, such as polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, hydrogels, and polymeric micelles. Among the various kinds of novel drug delivery systems, chitosan-based nanoparticles have attracted the attention of researchers to treat cancer. Chitosan is a polycationic polymer generated from chitin with various characteristics such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and mucoadhesiveness, making it an ideal polymer to fabricate drug delivery systems. However, chitosan is poorly soluble in water and soluble in acidic aqueous solutions. Furthermore, owing to the presence of reactive amino groups, chitosan can be chemically modified to improve its physiochemical properties. Chitosan and its modified derivatives can be employed to fabricate nanoparticles, which are used most frequently in the pharmaceutical sector due to their possession of various characteristics such as nanosize, appropriate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, non-immunogenicity, improved stability, and improved drug loading capacity. Furthermore, it is capable of delivering nucleic acids, chemotherapeutic medicines, and bioactives using modified chitosan. Chitosan and its modified derivative-based nanoparticles can be targeted to specific cancer sites via active and passive mechanisms. Based on chitosan drug delivery systems, many anticancer drugs now have better effectiveness, potency, cytotoxicity, or biocompatibility. The characteristics of chitosan and its chemically tailored derivatives, as well as their use in cancer therapy, will be examined in this review.

Polysaccharides for Medical Technology: Properties and Applications

Over the past decade, the use of polysaccharides has gained tremendous attention in the field of medical technology. They have been applied in various sectors such as tissue engineering, drug delivery system, face mask, and bio-sensing. This review article provides an overview and background of polysaccharides for biomedical uses. Different types of polysaccharides, for example, cellulose and its derivatives, chitin and chitosan, hyaluronic acid, alginate, and pectin are presented. They are fabricated in various forms such as hydrogels, nanoparticles, membranes, and as porous mediums. Successful development and improvement of polysaccharide-based materials will effectively help users to enhance their quality of personal health, decrease cost, and eventually increase the quality of life with respect to sustainability.

Naturally and chemically acetylated polysaccharides: Structural characteristics, synthesis, activities, and applications in the delivery system: A review

Acetylated polysaccharides refer to polysaccharides containing acetyl groups on sugar units. In the past, the acetylation modification of wall polysaccharides has been a hot research topic for scientists. However, in recent years, many studies have reported that acetylation-modified plant, animal, and microbial polysaccharide show great potential in delivery systems. From the latest perspective, this review systematically presents the different sources of naturally acetylated polysaccharides, the regularity of their modification, the chemical preparation of acetylation modifications, the biological activities and functions of acetylated polysaccharides, and the application in the delivery system. In nature, acetylated polysaccharides are extensively distributed in plants, microorganism, and animals. The level of acetylation modification, the distribution of chains, and the locations of acetylation modification sites differ between species. An increasing number of acetylated polysaccharides were prepared in the aqueous medium, which is safe, environment friendly, and low-cost. In addition to being necessary for plant growth and development, acetylated polysaccharides have immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. The above-mentioned multiple sources, multifunctional and multi-active acetylated polysaccharides, make them an increasingly important part of delivery systems. We conclude by discussing the future directions for research and development and the potential uses for acetylated polysaccharides.

Polysaccharide-based nanocomposites for biomedical applications: a critical review

Polysaccharides (PSA) have taken specific position among biomaterials for advanced applications in medicine. Nevertheless, poor mechanical properties are known as the main drawback of PSA, which highlights the need for PSA modification. Nanocomposites PSA (NPSA) are a class of biomaterials widely used as biomedical platforms, but despite their importance and worldwide use, they have not been reviewed. Herein, we critically reviewed the application of NPSA by categorizing them into generic and advanced application realms. First, the application of NPSA as drug and gene delivery systems, along with their role in the field as an antibacterial platform and hemostasis agent is discussed. Then, applications of NPSA for skin, bone, nerve, and cartilage tissue engineering are highlighted, followed by cell encapsulation and more critically cancer diagnosis and treatment potentials. In particular, three features of investigations are devoted to cancer therapy, i.e., radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and photothermal therapy, are comprehensively reviewed and discussed. Since this field is at an early stage of maturity, some other aspects such as bioimaging and biosensing are reviewed in order to give an idea of potential applications of NPSA for future developments, providing support for clinical applications. It is well-documented that using nanoparticles/nanomaterials above a critical concentration brings about concerns of toxicity; thus, their effect on cellular interactions would become critical. We compared nanoparticles used in the fabrication of NPSA in terms of toxicity mechanism to shed more light on future challenging aspects of NPSA development. Indeed, the neutralization mechanisms underlying the cytotoxicity of nanomaterials, which are expected to be induced by PSA introduction, should be taken into account for future investigations.

Synthesis of NMOF-5 Using Microwave and Coating with Chitosan: A Smart Biocompatible pH-Responsive Nanocarrier for 6-Mercaptopurine Release on MCF-7 Cell Lines

Cancer is one of the most difficult diseases to treat, threatening the lives of millions of people today. So far, various methods have been used to treat cancer, each having its drawbacks. One of these methods is treatment with anticancer drugs, which unfortunately have severe side effects. One of the causes of these complications is the nonspecific effects of anticancer drugs, which attack normal cells in addition to cancer cells and damage healthy tissues. In this study, we are trying to reduce the side effects and increase the efficacy of the drug by providing smart drug delivery. The metal-organic framework (MOF) was rapidly synthesized using a microwave method and at the nanoscale. The particle size of NMOF-5 was 18-20 nm, and its surface area was 2690 m²·g^-1. A chitosan polymer coating was formed on the nanocarrier after 6-mercaptopurine was introduced. The biocompatible nanocarrier exhibited a high capacity to adsorb the drug. The biocompatible nanocarrier slowly and uniformly released 96.78% of the drug in a simulated solution at pH 5 and 20.52% at pH 7.4. This showed that CS-6-MP-NMOF-5 released the drug smartly and pH-sensitively. The stability of the biocompatible nanocarrier was studied at different pH values and remained stable at pH 5 for up to 48 h. The toxicity study of the MCF-7 cell line at different concentrations for 24 h showed the excellent performance of the biocompatible nanocarrier compared to the free drug in terms of toxicity to breast cancer cells.

Coaxially electrospun 5-fluorouracil-loaded PLGA/PVP fibrous membrane for skin tumor treatment

As a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) has been widely used as a carrier to achieve controlled drug delivery in various forms. Focusing on skin tumor treatment, herein 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was embedded into the core of coaxially electrospun PLGA fibers to get a drug-loaded core-shell fibrous membrane. In the coaxial electrospinning, poly(vinylpyrrolidone) was applied in the inner flow to facilitate the formation of the core-shell structured fibers. The morphology and micro-structure of the fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. The influences of the molecular weights and chemical compositions of PLGA copolymers on the release behaviors were studied. The cytotoxicity of the fibers was characterized by cell proliferation and living-dead cell staining experiments. The results showed that faster release rates would be obtained if the copolymers were of lower molecular weights and higher fraction of glycidyl unit. All the prepared 5-FU loaded fibrous membranes were non-cytotoxic, suggesting their potential applications in skin tumor treatment.