Chitosan Versatile Biodegradable Polymer and its Importance – Review

Abstract

Chitosan is a polysaccharide derived from renewable resources. Chitosan is a biodegradable, biocompatible,
positively charged nontoxic mucoadhesive biopolymer. These unique features of chitosan have interested in
development of delivery systems for a wide range of biological agents. The properties, biodegradability, and
biological role of chitosan is frequently dependent on the relative proportions of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and
D-glucosamine residues. Sources of chitin are the shell wastes of crab, shrimp, lobster and crawfish etc.
Chitosan is usually prepared by the deacetylation of chitin. It is having the biological activity like Haemostatic,
Fungistatic, Spermicidal and accelerate the wound healing. It can be used in various drug delivery systems like
mucoadhesive drug delivery, insulin oral drug delivery, colon drug delivery etc.It can be used in cosmetics
preparation, and in agricultures used for growth and better yield.