Recent Applications of Dual-Stimuli Responsive Chitosan Hydrogel Nanocomposites as Drug Delivery Tools

Polysaccharides are a versatile class of macromolecules that are involved in many biological interactions critical to life. They can be further modified for added functionality. Once derivatized, these polymers can exhibit new chemical properties that can be further optimized for applications in drug delivery, wound healing, sensor development and others. Chitosan, derived from the N-deacetylation of chitin, is one example of a polysaccharide that has been functionalized and used as a major component of polysaccharide biomaterials. In this brief review, we focus on one aspect of chitosan's utility, namely we discuss recent advances in dual-responsive chitosan hydrogel nanomaterials.

Automated summary

Polysaccharides are important biomacromolecules that can be modified for various applications in drug delivery, wound healing, and sensor development. Among polysaccharides, chitosan is a major component often used in biomaterials after functionalization, such as in the recent advancements of dual-responsive chitosan hydrogel nanomaterials.