Chitosan Based Novel Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms and Drug Delivery Systems
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmaceutical Technology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 January 2025 | Viewed by 19636
Special Issue Editors
Interests: pharmaceutical dosage form design; polymer-based drug delivery systems; lipid-based drug delivery systems; microencapsulation; nanoencapsulation; controlled drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: pharmaceutical analysis; analytical method development and validation; bioanalytical method development and validation; mass spectrometry; chemometrics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
During the past decade, chitosan, a linear mucopolysaccharide obtained by N-deacetylation of chitin, has gained significant attention in the drug delivery arena due to its exceptional physicochemical characteristics (broad range of average molecular weight, presence of hydroxyl and amino groups), biological properties (biocompatibility, non-immunogenicity, biodegradability, mucoadhesive character, absorption enhancing capability, inhibition of efflux pumps, etc.), and natural abundance. The inherent limitations of pure chitosan, such as low water solubility at pH>6.5, poor drug entrapment capacity, and limited ability to control drug release, rise attention toward formulations and carriers designed from chemically modified (grafted) chitosan, chitosan–sugar hybrids, and chitosan/polyanions polyelectrolyte complexes, as well as for different composite systems obtained by combining chitosan with other drug carriers so as to enhance overall drug delivery performances. In this way, a versatile strategy is created that can be applied in the development of conventional dosage forms (tablets, capsules, hydrogels, membranes, films, sponges, fibers, beads), microscale and nanoscale carriers (microbeads, microneedles, micro-/nanoparticles, micelles, nanofibers, nanogels), which can efficiently entrap a variety of hydrophilic and lipophilic small molecule drugs, peptides, proteins, or genes, allowing various administration routes and drug release mechanisms. In recent years, a research interest focuses on smart chitosan-based carriers able for more accurate control of drug distribution in target tissues and/or drug release under specified conditions (pH, enzyme, temperature, light, ultrasound, magnetism, pressure, electric fields), which are favorable for optimization of therapeutical efficacy and reduction of side effects. At the same time, several challenges need to be overcome on the way to clinical validation of these strategies. This Special Issue aims to collect reviews that consider the current state of the art and future prospects in the field of chitosan-based formulations and drug delivery systems, as well as original research articles reflecting recent research efforts in this area.
Prof. Dr. Ljiljana Djekic
Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Anđelija M. Malenović
Co-Guest Editor
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2900 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 grafted copolymers
- chitosan-ligand conjugates
- chitosan/polyanions polyelectrolyte complexes
- formulation development
- drug delivery systems
- controlled drug release
- drug targeting
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.