Chitosan‐Based Films in Drug Delivery Applications
Divya Radha, Jisha S. Lal, K. S. Devaky
Abstract
Abstract The idea of controlled release of the pharmaceutical active ingredients in the human body has become a major thrust for designing sophisticated drug delivery systems. The mandatory requirement for developing these delivery vehicles is to support the delivery of pharmaceutical drugs in a pharmokinetically controlled manner. Though a variety of synthetic polymers address the above mentioned conditions, their toxicity and high cost have ultimately hampered their role. Consequently, natural polymers owing to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxicity can be used for the successful designing of drug delivery supports. One such natural polymer extracted from crustaceans, is chitosan. Chitosan can be used in drug delivery in various forms like hydrogels, nanoparticles, nanofibers, films, etc. This review presents the properties of chitosan films and their pivotal role in various drug delivery approaches.