Advances in oral chitosan based nano delivery system for colon targeted drug delivery in inflammatory bowel disease

Nanomaterials can be used as drug carriers with multiple features, including target delivery triggered by environmental, pH, thermal responses, enhanced biocompatibility, and the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Chitosan (CS) is a natural polysaccharide largely obtained from marine crustaceans. It provides drug delivery vector for therapeutic CS and diagnostic CS, owing to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity, and structural variability. Derivatives of CS such as quaternized CS, thiolated CS and carboxylated CS have enhanced its effectiveness in oral absorption of macromolecular drugs. This review discusses different forms of nanomaterials generated from CS and its derivatives for controlled drug delivery.