Chitosan-Based Polymers as Promising Materials for a Variety of Biomedical Applications
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 March 2024) | Viewed by 4446
Special Issue Editors
Interests: intestinal inflammation; microbiome; nature products; signal pathway
Interests: food toxicology; gut microbiota; food foreign substances; xenobiotics; food mycotoxin; heavy metals; probiotics; pathogenic microorganisms; intestinal inflammation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: natural products chemistry; bioactive compounds from agri-food wastes and byproducts; xenobiotic residue analysis in food commodities and animal products; biomedical analysis; starch-based biomaterials and their applications in food packages
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Chitosan has numerous health benefits, including the alleviation of intestinal inflammation, the enhancement of cell-mediated immune responses, the inhibition of edema, the alleviation of allergic inflammation and diet-induced obesity, as well as antioxidative and antitumor effects. The oral administration of chitosan has been shown to stimulate the immune system and improve adaptive immunity by inducing the production of immunoglobulins G (IgG) and A (IgA) in both serum and feces. On the other hand, chitosan has several properties that make it a promising adjuvant for oral vaccine delivery. For instance, chitosan is known to have protective effects in the gastric environment, which is important when ensuring a vaccine is not degraded in the acidic environment of the stomach. Additionally, chitosan has been shown to stimulate both systemic and mucosal immune responses, which is important for the generation of an effective immune response to a vaccine. It is also relatively nontoxic and has been shown to have low cytotoxicity, which is important for ensuring safety in vaccine delivery. While chitosan has been widely used in various fields, there are still many basic questions that need to be explored in order to fully understand its properties and potential applications. One major challenge in understanding the pharmacokinetics (PK) of chitosan is its molecular size and the way it is administered. Chitosan is a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide, which can make it difficult for the body to absorb and distribute. Additionally, the way chitosan is administered (e.g., orally, topically, or intravenously) can have a significant impact on how it is absorbed and metabolized. To better understand the PK of chitosan, intestinal absorption, tissue distribution, metabolism, and target molecules need to be addressed. Furthermore, its applications are limited by its poor solubility in water and some of its physical properties. To overcome this challenge, modification techniques have to be developed to improve its solubility and activity. This Special Issue will include—but will not be limited to—the potential effects and mechanisms of chitosan and modified chitosan on inflammation, tumors, intestinal flora, fat development, obesity, and diabetes in addition to targeted drug therapy.
Prof. Dr. Xianghong Ju
Prof. Dr. Ravi Gooneratne
Prof. Dr. A. M. Abd El-Aty
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- chitosan
- modification
- inflammation
- microbiome
- tumor therapy
- obesity
- diabetes
- drug therapy
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