Chitosan Nanoparticles-Based Cancer Drug Delivery: Application and Challenges

• Published in: Marine drugs Vol. 21; no. 4; p. 211
• Main Authors: Sachdeva, Bhuvi, Sachdeva, Punya, Negi, Arvind, Ghosh, Shampa, Han, Sungsoo, Dewanjee, Saikat, Jha, Saurabh Kumar, Bhaskar, Rakesh, Sinha, Jitendra Kumar, Paiva-Santos, Ana Cláudia, Jha, Niraj Kumar, Kesari, Kavindra Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.03.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Algae; Alzheimer's disease; Analysis; Antibiotics; anticancer agents; Anticancer properties; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Antitumor agents; Antitumour agents; Aquatic crustaceans; Biocompatibility; Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Biomedical engineering; Biomedical materials; Biopolymers; Cell walls; Chitin; Chitosan; Chitosan - therapeutic use; Crustaceans; Drug carriers; Drug delivery; Drug Delivery Systems; Drugs; Fermentation; Fungi; Health aspects; Humans; Marine crustaceans; Material properties; Methods; Molecular weight; Multiple sclerosis; N-Acetylglucosamine; nanocarriers; Nanoparticles; Neoplasms - drug therapy; polysaccharides; Population studies; Proteins; Radiation; Review; Shellfish; Solid tumors; Tissue engineering; Vehicles; India; polysaccharides; chitosan; nanoparticles; nanocarriers; anticancer agents; chitin
• ISSN: 1660-3397; 1660-3397
• DOI: 10.3390/md21040211

Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer consisting of -acetylglucosamine units and is primarily derived from the shells of marine crustaceans and the cell walls of organisms (such as bacteria, fungi, and algae). Being a biopolymer, its materialistic properties, such as biodegradability, and biocompatibility, make it a suitable choice for biomedical applications. Similarly, its deacetylated derivative, chitosan, exhibits similar biocompatibility and biodegradability properties, making it a suitable support material for biomedical applications. Furthermore, it has intrinsic material properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antitumor. Population studies have projected nearly 12 million cancer patients across the globe, where most will be suffering from solid tumors. One of the shortcomings of potent anticancer drugs is finding a suitable cellular delivery material or system. Therefore, identifying new drug carriers to achieve effective anticancer therapy is becoming essential. This paper focuses on the strategies implemented using chitin and chitosan biopolymers in drug delivery for cancer treatment.