Chitosan Derivatives and Their Application in Biomedicine

Chitosan is a product of the deacetylation of chitin, which is widely found in nature. Chitosan is insoluble in water and most organic solvents, which seriously limits both its application scope and applicable fields. However, chitosan contains active functional groups that are liable to chemical reactions; thus, chitosan derivatives can be obtained through the chemical modification of chitosan. The modification of chitosan has been an important aspect of chitosan research, showing a better solubility, pH-sensitive targeting, an increased number of delivery systems, etc. This review summarizes the modification of chitosan by acylation, carboxylation, alkylation, and quaternization in order to improve the water…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Award: 31771000
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province

  Award: C2017058
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China

  Award: 2017YFD0500603