Recent advances of chitosan nanoparticles as drug carriers

ent advances of chitosan nanoparticles as drug carriers Review (13954) Total Article Views Authors: Wang JJ, Zeng ZW, Xiao RZ, Xie T, Zhou GL, Zhan XR, Wang SL Published Date April 2011 Volume 2011:6 Pages 765 - 774 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S17296 Jun Jie Wang1, Zhao Wu Zeng1,2, Ren Zhong Xiao1, Tian Xie1, Guang Lin Zhou1, Xiao Ri Zhan1, Shu Ling Wang1 1Research Center for Biomedicine and Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China; 2College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China Abstract: Chitosan nanoparticles are good drug carriers because of their good biocompatibility and biodegradability, and can be readily modified. As a new drug delivery system, they have attracted increasing attention for their wide applications in, for example, loading protein drugs, gene drugs, and anticancer chemical drugs, and via various routes of administration including oral, nasal, intravenous, and ocular. This paper reviews published research on chitosan nanoparticles, including its preparation methods, characteristics, modification, in vivo metabolic processes, and applications.