Reviews and articles with chitosan in 2024
After already high numbers in 2023, 4025 articles dealing with chitosan were published in 2024. That is 616 more than in the previous year. This development shows that chitosan, as a versatile biopolymer, is attracting more and more attention from researchers worldwide. Of the 4025 search results on PubMed, 247 were reviews. Thematically, the reviews dealt with the diverse application possibilities of chitosan.
Most of the reviews were published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules (86), Carbohydrate Polymers (30) and Polymers (Basel) (9). The main topics were the use of chitosan as nanoparticles (25 reviews) and drug delivery systems (24 articles), and in particular their use as possible cancer therapeutics (20 articles). Other reviews dealt with chitosan hydrogels (19 reviews) and the application of chitosan in tissue engineering (also 19 articles). Three reviews on different application areas are presented below:
Guo W, Ding X, Zhang H, Liu Z, Han Y, Wei Q, Okoro OV, Shavandi A, Nie L. Recent Advances of Chitosan-Based Hydrogels for Skin-Wound Dressings. Gels. 2024 Feb 29;10(3):175. doi: 10.3390/gels10030175.
Guo et al. present the use of chitosan hydrogels for wound treatment and in tissue engineering. The advances in hydrogel technology are presented. The focus is on the antibacterial, antioxidant and hemostatic properties. These make them suitable for the treatment of a variety of wounds, including inflamed and diabetic wounds. Furthermore, chemical modifications of chitosan are discussed that should further increase the therapeutic benefits of chitosan hydrogels. The outlook outlines future applications of “smart hydrogels” that will be used for targeted therapy and monitoring of wounds.
Atmaca H, Oguz F, Ilhan S. Chitosan in cancer therapy: a dual role as a therapeutic agent and drug delivery system. Z Naturforsch C J Biosci. 2024 Mar 14;79(5-6):95-105. doi: 10.1515/znc-2023-0148.
This review presents the use of chitosan as both an active ingredient and a drug delivery system in cancer therapy. Various chitosan-based nanoparticles, their modification, and their influence on the effectiveness and cytotoxicity of classic cytostatic drugs such as Palitaxel and Doxorubicin are discussed. In addition, the effect-enhancing and pro-apoptotic effects of chitosan are also highlighted, which makes it a potential candidate in combination therapy.
Mascarenhas R, Hegde S, Manaktala N. Chitosan nanoparticle applications in dentistry: a sustainable biopolymer. Front Chem. 2024 Apr 10;12:1362482. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1362482.
In their review article, Mascarenhas et al. present the synthesis and the diverse applications of chitosan nanoparticles in dentistry. Due to its low cytotoxicity, high biocompatibility and pronounced antimicrobial effect, chitosan is suitable for numerous dental applications. Particularly promising are its possible uses in the remineralization of tooth enamel, in oral drug delivery systems, in dental hygiene, in the regeneration of dental nerves, and as a coating for dental implants to improve their durability and compatibility. These properties make chitosan a promising material for future developments in dental medicine.