Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
Biomedical Research Center, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Nov 16;20(22):5776. doi: 10.3390/ijms20225776.
The development of advanced nanomaterials and technologies is essential in biomedical engineering to improve the quality of life. Chitosan-based nanomaterials are on the forefront and attract wide interest due to their versatile physicochemical characteristics such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity, which play a promising role in biological applications. Chitosan and its derivatives are employed in several applications including pharmaceuticals and biomedical engineering. This article presents a comprehensive overview of recent advances in chitosan derivatives and nanoparticle synthesis, as well as emerging applications in medicine, tissue engineering, drug delivery, gene therapy, and cancer therapy. In addition to the applications, we critically review the main concerns and mitigation strategies related to chitosan bactericidal properties, toxicity/safety using tissue cultures and animal models, and also their potential environmental impact. At the end of this review, we also provide some of future directions and conclusions that are important for expanding the field of biomedical applications of the chitosan nanoparticles.
在生物医学工程中，开发先进的纳米材料和技术对于提高生活质量至关重要。基于壳聚糖的纳米材料处于前沿地位，因其具有生物降解性、生物相容性和无毒等多种物理化学特性而引起广泛关注，在生物应用中具有广阔的前景。壳聚糖及其衍生物在包括药物和生物医学工程在内的多个领域得到应用。本文全面综述了壳聚糖衍生物和纳米粒子合成的最新进展，以及在医学、组织工程、药物输送、基因治疗和癌症治疗方面的新兴应用。除了应用，我们还批判性地回顾了与壳聚糖杀菌性能、组织培养和动物模型毒性/安全性以及潜在环境影响相关的主要问题和缓解策略。在本综述的最后，我们还提供了一些未来的方向和结论，这些方向和结论对于扩大壳聚糖纳米粒子在生物医学应用领域具有重要意义。
