Main description:

Chitosan in Biomedical Applications provides a thorough insight into the complete chitosan chemistry, collection, chemical modifications, characterization and applications of chitosan in biomedical applications and healthcare fields. Chitosan, a biopolymer of natural origin, has been explored for its variety of applications in biomedical research, medical diagnostic aids and material science. It is the second most abundant natural biopolymer after cellulose, and considered as an excellent excipient because of its non-toxic, stable, biodegradable properties. Several research innovations have been made on applications of chitosan in biomedical applications. The book explores key topics, such as molecular weight, degree of deacetylation, and molecular geometry, along with an emphasis on recent advances in the field written by academic, industry, and clinical researchers. Chitosan in Biomedical Applications will be of interest to those in biomedical fields including the biomaterials and tissue engineering community investigating and developing biomaterials for biomedical applications, particularly graduate students, young faculty and others exploring chitosan-based materials.

Contents:

1. Introduction to chitosan, a versatile biomedical polymer 2. Biological and pharmacological activities of chitosan 3. Antimicrobial applications of chitosan 4. Micro- and nano-scale chitosan-based particles for biomedical uses 5. Biomedical applications of chitosan-based hydrogels 6. Electrospun chitosan for biomedical applications 7. Chitosan nanocomposites for biomedical applications 8. Uses of chitosan in drug delivery 9. Chitosan-based nanotherapeutics 10. Chitosan-based systems in diabetes treatment 11. Uses of chitosan in cancer therapeutics 12. Environmental stimuli-sensitive chitosan nanocarriers in therapeutics 13. Colon-targeting by chitosan systems 14. Protein and peptide delivery by chitosan systems 15. Gene and growth factor delivery by chitosan systems 16. Mucosal vaccination through chitosan-based delivery systems 17. Enzyme immobilizations by using chitosan systems 18. Applications of chitosan in orthopaedics and dentistry 19. Chitosan-based scaffolds in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine 20. Wound healing/dressing applications of chitosan systems 21. Coating of chitosan onto bone implants 22. Bioimaging applications of chitosan-based systems 23. Drawbacks of chitosan usage in biomedical area