Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Biomedical Applications of Chitosan

Abstract

Chitosan is a biopolymer chitin derivative discovered in 1811 by Henri Braconnot, and it was first used in 1985 by Charles Rouget. It is produced via the deacetylation of chitin (the natural component of the arthropods exoskeletons and the fungal cell wall). The unique solubility and the chemical and biological characterization of chitosan attracted more scientific and industrial attention, specifically in the past 20 years. Its properties depend on the degree of deacetylation and its molecular weight. Therefore, recently, different forms of chitosan (solutions, suspension, gels/hydrogels, sponges, microparticles/nanoparticles, membranes and films, fibers/nanofibers) and its derivatives have been used in many fields. It has a wide range of applications in various fields, such as medicine, industry, agriculture, and commercial research. Medicinally, because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, nontoxicity, natural origin, and similarity with human macromolecules, chitosan is widely used in pharmaceutical applications, antimicrobial applications, gene delivery, gene therapy, wound healing and burns, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, cancer applications, dermatology, ophthalmology, dentistry, biosensors, as well as bioimaging, support for immobilized enzymes, and veterinary medicine. In this review, some medicinal applications of chitosan will be highlighted.