Chitosan Reviews in 2021

A large number of reviews on Chitosan were also published in 2021. According to HMC searches in the PubMed database, a total of 181 new reviews with chitosan in the title appeared in 2021. In this article, we would like to give you an overview of the publications, as well as briefly introduce five reviews on various topics related to chitosan. Have fun reading!

The 181 new reviews on chitosan in 2021 appeared in 52 different scientific journals, most of them in the International journal of biological macromolecules (46), followed by Carbohydrate polymers (27) and Polymers (18). Popular article topics included chitosan-containing nanoparticles (56) and drug delivery systems (19). Other examples involved hydrogels (5) and chitosan for wound treatment (5).

Below are five reviews we selected that deal with chitosan in general as well as on several of the aforementioned topics.

Aranaz, I.; Alcántara, A.R.; Civera, M.C.; Arias, C.; Elorza, B.; Heras Caballero, A.; Acosta, N. Chitosan: An Overview of Its Properties and Applications. Polymers 2021, 13, 3256. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13193256

In their review, Aranaz et al. provide a general overview of the current state of science in the field of chitosan. Aspects such as polymer chemistry, biological and technical properties, and applications of chitosan in drug delivery and as a biocatalyst are highlighted.

Meng, Q., Sun, Y., Cong, H. et al. An overview of chitosan and its application in infectious diseases. Drug Deliv. and Transl. 2021, Res. 11, 1340-1351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-021-00913-w

The emergence of new infectious diseases such as Covid-19, SARS or Ebola as well as resistant bacteria or fungi endanger human health. The review by Meng et al. summarizes and analyzes the application of chitosan to treat infectious diseases, such as chitosan nanoparticles, vaccine vectors, or wound dressings. In addition, new ideas for the treatment of infectious diseases were discussed. The article is listed in the WHO database on Covid-19.

Ke, C.-L.; Deng, F.-S.; Chuang, C.-Y.; Lin, C.-H. Antimicrobial Actions and Applications of Chitosan. Polymers 2021, 13, 904. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13060904

In the review by Ke et al. the antimicrobial properties of chitosan and their influencing factors are considered in more detail. In addition, it describes how bacteria and fungi respond to chitosan and what factors are involved in the antimicrobial response. It is also discussed what future perspectives the use of chitosan has and what problems might arise in its further application.

Mikušová, V.; Mikuš, P. Advances in chitosan-based nanoparticles for drug delivery. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 9652. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22179652

In their review, Mikušová and Mikuš go into great detail about the aspects related to the development of nanoparticles and nanocomposites. In addition to including important chitosan modifications, they also address the preparation of conventional as well as novel chitosan nanoparticles. Moreover, they evaluate the developed systems to improve drug delivery e.g. oral, nasal or dermal. In addition, the use of nanoparticles in wound healing, vaccine as well as gene delivery is also discussed.

Feng, P.; Luo, Y.; Ke, C.; Qiu, H.; Wang, W.; Zhu, Y.; Hou, R.; Xu, L.; Wu, S. Chitosan-Based Functional Materials for Skin Wound Repair: Mechanisms and Applications. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol 2021. 9:650598. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2021.650598

This review by Feng et al. considers the functions of chitosan as a wound care material to avert bacterial infection, stop bleeding, and promote wound healing. Special attention is given here to the use of chitosan as a hydrogel for wound treatment.