Intrinsic parameters for the synthesis and tuned properties of amphiphilic chitosan drug delivery nanocarriers

Abstract

Chitosan (CS) is a material derived from chitin, the most abundant biopolymer on the planet. It has shown potential among a wide variety of biomedical applications especially within the context of self-assembling nanocarriers usable in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, macroscopic injectables, tissue-engineering scaffolds, and nano-imaging agents. To date, many reviews have been focused on the biomedical properties and applications of CS-based nanocarriers, but a review is lacking on the role and prospects of different factors such as formulation parameters and preparation conditions on the properties of amphiphilic chitosan nanocarriers (ACNs) that have shown critical value in advancing drug delivery.

Keywords: Amphiphilic chitosan nanocarriers; Concentration, Degree of hydrophobic substitution; Molecular weight.