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Macromol
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Chitosan-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications: Derivatives and Composites
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Chitosan-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications: Derivatives and Composites

A Special Issue of Macromol (ISSN 2673-6209).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2027 | Viewed by 3590

Editors

Prof. Dr. Maria Bonferoni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: nose-to-brain delivery; amphiphilic chitosan; photodynamic therapy; RNA-based nanomedicines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sara Perteghella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: silk-based nanoparticles; lipid nanoparticles; scaffold for tissue regeneration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Chitosan is one of the most studied semisynthetic polymers thanks to its peculiar cationic nature and its potential uses in the field of biomedicine. After a few decades of studies, the interest in this material is still very high and even increasing in the scientific community due to the continuous development of new derivatives. Moreover, it also still draws plenty of attention due to the ability of chitosan to be easily associated with other polymers, for example, involving polyelectrolyte interaction, and with inorganic materials such as clays. The many applications proposed in the biomedical field rely on chitosan properties such as wound-healing behaviour, haemostatic activity, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. Therefore, reports on its use in scaffolds and systems for tissue repair and regeneration, nanofibers, hydrogels and nanoparticles with a variety of therapeutic applications, among which are antibacterial and antifungal, but also anticancer ones, are found in the literature.

The present Special Issue invites articles and reviews about chitosan innovative derivatives and composites, highlighting their characteristics involved in biological activity, and contributing to increasing the understanding of the biological behaviour of this versatile material and of its potential for expanded biomedical applications. 

Prof. Dr. Maria Bonferoni
Dr. Sara Perteghella
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Macromol is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • chitosan
  • chitosan derivatives
  • chitosan composites
  • biomedical applications

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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24 pages, 16449 KB  
Article
Centratherum anthelminticum Extract-Mediated Silver Nanoparticle-Loaded Biopolymeric Composite Films: Characterization and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial Activity
by Sadanand Yewale, Vishal Gavande and Vasi Shaikh
Macromol 2026, 6(3), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/macromol6030062 - 12 Aug 2026
Viewed by 403
Abstract
This study reports a comparative evaluation of natural polymeric biomaterial films impregnated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized using the ethyl acetate (EA) extract of Centratherum anthelminticum (CA), yielding CA-EA extract-mediated AgNPs (CA-EA-AgNPs). The biopolymeric films were solution cast and confirmed for nanoparticle impregnation [...] Read more.
This study reports a comparative evaluation of natural polymeric biomaterial films impregnated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized using the ethyl acetate (EA) extract of Centratherum anthelminticum (CA), yielding CA-EA extract-mediated AgNPs (CA-EA-AgNPs). The biopolymeric films were solution cast and confirmed for nanoparticle impregnation using techniques such as FTIR, XRD, and FESEM-EDAX. In addition to possessing antimicrobial activity, AgNPs also act as structural modifiers. AgNPs significantly enhanced tensile strength from 19.00 ± 0.62 MPa to 24.52 ± 0.97 MPa and Young’s modulus from 106.2 ± 18.2 MPa to 143.8 ± 7.15 MPa for chitosan (CH)-based films. For agar (AA)-based films, tensile strength increased modestly from 105.31 ± 1.18 MPa to 111.81 ± 1.78 MPa, maintaining a high Young’s modulus (1411.8 MPa). The water contact angle changed from 31.5° to 49.9° and from 56.9° to 86.7° for CH and AA films, respectively. The nanocomposite films demonstrated controlled equilibrium swelling kinetics without structural disintegration. The films exhibited moderately improved antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis, yielding zones of inhibition (diameter) from 7.67 ± 0.47 mm to 10.33 ± 0.47 mm, 7.33 ± 0.47 mm to 9.67 ± 0.47 mm, and 7.67 ± 0.47 mm to 8.67 ± 0.47 mm for chitosan-based films and from 7.67 ± 0.47 mm to 11.67 ± 0.47 mm, 7.67 ± 0.47 mm to 10.67 ± 0.47 mm, and 7.33 ± 0.47 mm to 8.67 ± 0.47 mm for agar-based films, respectively, against their respective controls. The above findings demonstrate the potential of these nanoparticle-loaded biopolymer films as potent antimicrobial biomaterials for prospective wound management applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications: Derivatives and Composites)
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22 pages, 2200 KB  
Article
Zn2+-Cross-Linked Polyelectrolyte Complexes Based on Diethylaminoethyl Chitosan and Dextran Sulfate for Sustained Delivery of Dexamethasone Phosphate
by Anton N. Bokatyi, Natallia V. Dubashynskaya, Andrey Y. Borovskoy, Valentina A. Petrova, Igor V. Kudryavtsev, Andrey S. Trulioff, Artem A. Rubinstein, Tatiana S. Sall, Yuliya A. Nashchekina, Alexey V. Malkov and Yury A. Skorik
Macromol 2026, 6(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/macromol6030061 - 11 Aug 2026
Viewed by 542
Abstract
Dexamethasone phosphate (DexP) is a potent glucocorticoid limited by rapid clearance and a short half-life. To enable sustained DexP delivery, we developed polyelectrolyte complexes based on chitosan (CS) or diethylaminoethyl chitosan (DeaeCS) cross-linked with dextran sulfate (DS) via Zn2+ ions, which are [...] Read more.
Dexamethasone phosphate (DexP) is a potent glucocorticoid limited by rapid clearance and a short half-life. To enable sustained DexP delivery, we developed polyelectrolyte complexes based on chitosan (CS) or diethylaminoethyl chitosan (DeaeCS) cross-linked with dextran sulfate (DS) via Zn2+ ions, which are proposed to form coordination bonds with sulfate, phosphate, and amino groups, creating a denser hybrid matrix. The resulting spherical particles (132–180 nm) exhibited tunable surface charge (−23.0 to +28.3 mV) and high encapsulation efficiency (up to 100%). XRD indicated amorphization of DexP within the matrix. In vitro release in simulated tear fluid showed that both Zn2+ cross-linking and DeaeCS significantly prolonged release. The optimized DexP-DS-DeaeCS-Zn-10 formulation achieved 1.5-fold higher corneal permeability (Papp = 14.28 × 10−6 cm/s) compared to free DexP while maintaining low cytotoxicity in SIRC and THP-1 cells. Encapsulated DexP effectively suppressed TNF-α-induced CD54 expression in macrophages, confirming preserved anti-inflammatory activity. These hybrid particles combine sustained release, enhanced corneal penetration, and Zn2+-mediated anti-inflammatory effects, representing a promising platform for improved DexP delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications: Derivatives and Composites)
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18 pages, 3124 KB  
Article
Development and Characterization of Agar–Chitosan and Gellan–Chitosan Biopolymer Films with Naringin for Wound Healing Applications
by Gulzeynep Begimova, Aishat Kuldanova, Irina Kuxina and Nazira Chinibekova
Macromol 2026, 6(3), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/macromol6030045 - 6 Jul 2026
Viewed by 581
Abstract
Polysaccharide-based films are widely studied as topical systems due to their biocompatibility and tunable structural properties. In this study, composite films based on agar–chitosan (A-series) and gellan–chitosan (G-series) were developed with naringin as a bioactive component. The effects of polymer composition and naringin [...] Read more.
Polysaccharide-based films are widely studied as topical systems due to their biocompatibility and tunable structural properties. In this study, composite films based on agar–chitosan (A-series) and gellan–chitosan (G-series) were developed with naringin as a bioactive component. The effects of polymer composition and naringin loading on structural organization, swelling behavior, antibacterial activity, and biocompatibility were evaluated. The results show that agar-based systems exhibited significantly higher swelling (~1370%), indicating a more open and highly hydrated structure, whereas gellan-based films formed more compact networks with moderate swelling (~347%). The incorporation of naringin (0.25 g per formulation) led to a pronounced increase in swelling in gellan-based systems (~777%), suggesting reduced network density, while only a slight effect was observed for agar-based films (~1444%). Antimicrobial studies against Staphylococcus aureus confirmed activity in both systems. The gellan-based formulation showed increased antibacterial activity with higher naringin loading (up to 30.0 ± 0.0 mm), whereas agar-based systems demonstrated maximum activity at lower naringin content (27.67 ± 0.58 mm). These findings indicate that antibacterial performance is influenced not only by the amount of bioactive compound but also by matrix structure and release characteristics. In vivo studies of selected A-series samples confirmed good tolerability of the naringin-loaded film (A1N1), with no signs of systemic toxicity or skin irritation, while anti-inflammatory activity under acute conditions was limited. Overall, the developed polysaccharide-based films show potential as topical systems; however, further optimization of polymer composition and formulation parameters is required to achieve a balance between structural stability and biological performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications: Derivatives and Composites)
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20 pages, 3089 KB  
Article
Chitosan–PLGA Hybrid Nanocarriers Enhance Therapeutic Delivery of Doxorubicin for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
by Shajahan Azeez, Anbazhagan Sathiyaseelan, Mohana Thiruchenduran, Kaviyarasan Venkatesan and Latha Ragunathan
Macromol 2026, 6(2), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/macromol6020042 - 10 Jun 2026
Viewed by 942
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most prevalent and lethal malignancies worldwide, with limited therapeutic outcomes due to systemic toxicity and suboptimal efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutics such as doxorubicin (DOX). In this study, we formulated and standardized DOX-loaded chitosan/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (DLCNs) [...] Read more.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most prevalent and lethal malignancies worldwide, with limited therapeutic outcomes due to systemic toxicity and suboptimal efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutics such as doxorubicin (DOX). In this study, we formulated and standardized DOX-loaded chitosan/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (DLCNs) via a nanoprecipitation method and evaluated their therapeutic potential in a diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced Wistar rat model of HCC. Physicochemical analyses confirmed nanoscale size, favorable zeta potential, and high encapsulation efficiency, while Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) verified polymer–drug interactions. Biochemical analysis revealed that DLCNs significantly normalized elevated liver function markers (Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), restored serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) to near-control levels, and reduced lipid peroxidation compared with free DOX and DEN controls. Antioxidant profiling demonstrated marked recovery of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), indicating restoration of hepatic redox balance. Histopathological evaluation further corroborated these findings, showing recovery of hepatic lobular architecture and reduction in necrosis and inflammatory infiltrates in DLCN-treated Wistar Albino rats, while free DOX groups exhibited hepatocellular damage. Overall, the results demonstrate that encapsulating DOX in a chitosan/PLGA nanocarrier improves therapeutic efficacy, mitigates hepatotoxicity, and enhances antioxidant defense, establishing DLCNs as a favorable candidate for HCC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications: Derivatives and Composites)
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