Polymers are used in drug delivery devices for drug encapsulation and release. Natural polymers often have advantages such as biocompatibility, biodegradability and biologically recognizable moieties which support cellular activities, compared to synthetic polymers. Chitosan, a naturally occurring polysaccharide obtained from chitin, has recently drawn attention because chitosan is non-toxic, biocompatible, biodegradable, stable and sterilizable. The additional qualities of chitosan are the release rate of drug, easy modification, cross-linking ability with other polymers, antimicrobial properties, gel forming ability, bioadhesion, immunostimulation, activation of macrophages and gas permeability. Here, I review applications of chitosan in drug delivery. The properties of chitin and chitosan, and the mechanisms of drug release are also presented.

聚合物用于药物递送装置中以用于药物封装和释放。与合成聚合物相比，天然聚合物通常具有诸如支持细胞活性的生物相容性，生物降解性和生物可识别部分的优势。壳聚糖是一种从几丁质中获得的天然多糖，最近受到人们的关注，因为壳聚糖是无毒的，生物相容性的，可生物降解的，稳定的和可灭菌的。壳聚糖的其他特性是药物的释放速率，易于修饰，与其他聚合物的交联能力，抗菌性能，凝胶形成能力，生物粘附，免疫刺激，巨噬细胞活化和透气性。在这里，我回顾了壳聚糖在药物递送中的应用。还介绍了几丁质和壳聚糖的性质，以及药物释放的机理。