Chitosan is a natural polymer that has been widely utilized for many purposes in the food, textile, agriculture, water treatment, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Based on its characteristics, including biodegradability, non-toxicity and antimicrobial properties, it has been employed effectively in wound healing applications. Importantly, however, it is necessary to improve chitosan's capacities by combination with zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs). In this review of many of the latest research papers, we take a closer look at the antibacterial effectiveness of chitosan combined with ZnO, TiO₂ and Ag NPs and also evaluate the specific wound healing application potentials.
Keywords: antimicrobial ability; chitosan; metal (oxide) nanoparticles; nanocomposites; wound healing.