Chitosan Nanoparticles-Based Cancer Drug Delivery: Application and Challenges

Funding Information: The authors would like to thank their respective institutes for their support. We would like to thank BioRender ( BioRender.com ) for designing figures incorporated in the manuscript. J.K.S. and S.G. acknowledge support from International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer consisting of N-acetylglucosamine units and is primarily derived from the shells of marine crustaceans and the cell walls of organisms (such as bacteria, fungi, and algae). Being a biopolymer, its materialistic properties, such as biodegradability, and biocompatibility, make it a suitable choice for biomedical applications. Similarly, its deacetylated derivative, chitosan, exhibits similar biocompatibility and biodegradability properties, making it a suitable support material for biomedical applications. Furthermore, it has intrinsic material properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antitumor. Population studies have projected nearly 12 million cancer patients across the globe, where most will be suffering from solid tumors. One of the shortcomings of potent anticancer drugs is finding a suitable cellular delivery material or system. Therefore, identifying new drug carriers to achieve effective anticancer therapy is becoming essential. This paper focuseson the strategies implemented using chitin and chitosan biopolymers in drug delivery for cancer treatment.Peer reviewe