Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: Chitosan in Biomedicine: Current Status, Future Perspectives and Challenges

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 4550

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Nanobiofar Group (GI-1643), Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela-Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: biomaterials; new drug delivery systems; gene therapy; nanomedicine; micro-nanotechnologies; pulmonary delivery

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Guest Editor
Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: amphiphilic polymers; bioactive polysaccharides; nanoemulsions; poorly soluble drug formulations; nanoparticles; theranostics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, chitosan biomaterial, mainly in its nanostructure form, has gained extraordinary relevance in the biomedical field due to its unique biological properties. It is nontoxic, biodegradable, biocompatible, mucoadhesive and promotes mucosal drug absorption. In addition, it has antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, immunostimulatory and wound healing properties. For all these reasons, chitosan and its derivatives are having an enormous impact on the fields of drug delivery, gene therapy, vaccination, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and wound dressing, among others. In their application, the use of chitosan-based starting materials that are well characterized is an urgent requirement, and the properties of chitosan derivatives are being continuously improved to ensure they are suitable for application.

This Special Issue focuses on the latest research advances on systems based on chitosan and its derivatives in biomedicine, including (but not limited to): (a) delivery of proteins, antibiotics, antigens and nucleic acids; (b) diagnosis and treatment of cancer (theranostics); and (c) applications in tissue engineering. The aim is to provide an updated status and perspectives on future research in the aforementioned topics and to emphasize the challenges for their translation to the clinic.

Original research articles and review manuscripts on the aforementioned topics are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Carmen Remuñán-López
Prof. Dr. Maria Bonferoni
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biomedicine
  • cancer
  • chitosan
  • drug delivery
  • gene therapy
  • nanostructure
  • tissue engineering
  • vaccine
  • nanotechnology
  • theranostics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 5575 KiB  
Article
Chitosan-Coated Liposome Formulations for Encapsulation of Ciprofloxacin and Etoposide
by Rubén Gil-Gonzalo, D. Alonzo Durante-Salmerón, Saeedeh Pouri, Ernesto Doncel-Pérez, Andrés R. Alcántara, Inmaculada Aranaz and Niuris Acosta
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(8), 1036; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16081036 - 2 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1158
Abstract
Cancer and bacterial infections rank among the most significant global health threats. accounting for roughly 25 million fatalities each year. This statistic underscores the urgent necessity for developing novel drugs, enhancing current treatments, and implementing systems that boost their bioavailability to achieve superior [...] Read more.
Cancer and bacterial infections rank among the most significant global health threats. accounting for roughly 25 million fatalities each year. This statistic underscores the urgent necessity for developing novel drugs, enhancing current treatments, and implementing systems that boost their bioavailability to achieve superior therapeutic outcomes. Liposomes have been recognised as effective carriers; nonetheless, they encounter issues with long-term stability and structural integrity, which limit their pharmaceutical applicability. Chitosomes (chitosan-coated liposomes) are generally a good alternative to solve these issues. This research aims to demonstrate the effective individual encapsulation of ciprofloxacin (antibacterial, hydrophilic) and etoposide (anticancer, hydrophobic), within chitosomes to create more effective drug delivery systems (oral administration for ciprofloxacin, parenteral administration for etoposide). Thus, liposomes and chitosomes were prepared using the thin-film hydration technique and were characterised through ATR-FTIR, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), zeta potential, and release profiling. In both cases, the application of chitosomes enhanced long-term stability in size and surface charge. Chitosome-encapsulated ciprofloxacin formulations exhibited a slower and sustained release profile, while the combined effect of etoposide and chitosan showed heightened efficacy against the glioblastoma cell line U373. Therefore, coating liposomes with chitosan improved the encapsulation system’s properties, resulting in a promising method for drug delivery. Full article
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16 pages, 4439 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of Ciprofloxacin-Loaded Sodium Alginate Nanobeads Coated with Thiol-Anchored Chitosan Using B-390 Encapsulator Following Optimization by DoE
by Mahwash Mukhtar, Ildikó Csóka, Josipa Martinović, Gordana Šelo, Ana Bucić-Kojić, László Orosz, Dóra Paróczai, Katalin Burian and Rita Ambrus
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(6), 691; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16060691 - 21 May 2024
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Abstract
Most infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can easily be treated by exploiting the already available antibiotics with the change in administration approach and delivery system. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is used as a drug of choice for many bacterial infections; however, long-term therapy and [...] Read more.
Most infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can easily be treated by exploiting the already available antibiotics with the change in administration approach and delivery system. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is used as a drug of choice for many bacterial infections; however, long-term therapy and off-site drug accumulation lead to an increased risk of tendinitis and peripheral neuropathy. To overcome this issue, nanotechnology is being exploited to encapsulate antibiotics within polymeric structures, which not only facilitates dose maintenance at the infection site but also limits off-site side effects. Here, sodium alginate (SA) and thiol-anchored chitosan (TC) were used to encapsulate CIP via a calcium chloride (CaCl2) cross-linker. For this purpose, the B-390 encapsulator was employed in the preparation of nanobeads using a simple technique. The hydrogel-like sample was then freeze-dried, using trehalose or mannitol as a lyoprotectant, to obtain a fine dry powder. Design of Experiment (DoE) was utilized to optimize the nanobead production, in which the influence of different independent variables was studied for their outcome on the polydispersity index (PDI), particle size, zeta potential, and percentage encapsulation efficiency (% EE). In vitro dissolution studies were performed in simulated saliva fluid, simulated gastric fluid, and simulated intestinal fluid. Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory studies were also performed along with cytotoxicity profiling. By and large, the study presented positive outcomes, proving the advantage of using nanotechnology in fabricating new delivery approaches using already available antibiotics. Full article
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Review

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53 pages, 1743 KiB  
Review
Applications of Chitosan in Prevention and Treatment Strategies of Infectious Diseases
by Genada Sinani, Melike Sessevmez and Sevda Şenel
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(9), 1201; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16091201 - 13 Sep 2024
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Abstract
Chitosan is the most commonly investigated functional cationic biopolymer in a wide range of medical applications due to its promising properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioadhesivity, as well as its numerous bioactive properties. Within the last three decades, chitosan and its derivatives [...] Read more.
Chitosan is the most commonly investigated functional cationic biopolymer in a wide range of medical applications due to its promising properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioadhesivity, as well as its numerous bioactive properties. Within the last three decades, chitosan and its derivatives have been investigated as biomaterials for drug and vaccine delivery systems, besides for their bioactive properties. Due to the functional groups in its structure, it is possible to tailor the delivery systems with desired properties. There has been a great interest in the application of chitosan-based systems also for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, specifically due to their antimicrobial, antiviral, and immunostimulatory effects. In this review, recent applications of chitosan in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases are reviewed, and possibilities and limitations with regards to technical and regulatory aspects are discussed. Finally, the future perspectives on utilization of chitosan as a biomaterial are discussed. Full article
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