Medical Applications of Chitosan Nanoparticles

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 1807

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Sonora, Bordo Nuevo S/N, Ciudad Obregon 85199, Sonora, Mexico
Interests: materials science; biochemistry; chemistry; medicine; biological sciences; pharmacology; immunology and microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo CP 83000, Mexico
Interests: science materials; nanotechnology; interfacial phenomena; polymer-based systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León S/N, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico
Interests: biological science; microbiology; immunology; host–pathogen interactions; antimicrobial resistance; alternatives of treatments in bacterial resistance; fagotherapy; microbiome; probiotics

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Patogenicidad Bacteriana, Unidad de Hemato-Oncología e Investigación. Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez/Facultad de Medicina UNAM, Mexico City C.P. 06720, Mexico
Interests: infectious diseases control; phage therapy; bacterial virulence factors; antimicrobial resistance

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Among the vast variety of biopolymers, chitosan stands out as one of the most widely used due to its exceptional physicochemical and biological properties. Currently, it plays a crucial role in the design and synthesis of promising biomaterials across different scales, ranging from nanometric to macroscopic structures, including nanoparticles, films, and hydrogels. Undoubtedly, chitosan-based nanoparticles offer a significant advantage in pharmaceutical and medical applications, particularly in drug delivery systems, and in the surface coating of organic or inorganic nanoparticles. This is attributed to their biocompatibility, non-cytotoxicity, antibacterial properties, and mucoadhesive nature, along with their cost-effectiveness and environmentally friendly synthesis approaches.

This Special Issue aims to compile research manuscripts that provide readers with comprehensive overviews of the promising applications of chitosan-based nanoparticles, particularly their potential in medical and pharmaceutical fields.

Dr. Marco A. López-Mata
Dr. Josué Juárez
Dr. Gerardo García-González
Dr. Gerardo Rodea
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics 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-based nanoparticles
  • drug delivery
  • biopolymers
  • polysaccharide
  • biomaterials
  • health concerns

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

25 pages, 7125 KB  
Article
Oral Chitosan–Tripolyphosphate Nanoparticles Enhance the Metabolic Regulatory Effects of Snow Lotus Polysaccharide in Type 2 Diabetes
by Shangyi Huang, Lei Liu, Jiani Li, Hongyang Ren, Huamin Wang, Wantong Zhao, Shuangqing Wang, Guangyao Li and Congshu Dai
Pharmaceutics 2026, 18(5), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18050561 - 30 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1307
Abstract
Purpose: Natural polysaccharides have shown considerable potential in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) due to their multi-target metabolic regulatory effects. However, their clinical translation is limited by poor oral stability and low intestinal permeability. Snow lotus polysaccharide (SIP), a representative [...] Read more.
Purpose: Natural polysaccharides have shown considerable potential in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) due to their multi-target metabolic regulatory effects. However, their clinical translation is limited by poor oral stability and low intestinal permeability. Snow lotus polysaccharide (SIP), a representative plant-derived polysaccharide, exhibits promising metabolic benefits but suffers from these delivery barriers. This study aimed to develop an oral nanodelivery system to enhance the gastrointestinal stability and intestinal transport of SIP, thereby improving its in vivo efficacy. Methods: SIP-loaded chitosan–tripolyphosphate nanoparticles (SIP@CS-TPP) were prepared via ionic crosslinking and characterized in terms of particle size, surface charge, morphology, and structural features. In vitro release behavior under simulated gastrointestinal conditions was evaluated. Ex vivo intestinal permeation was assessed using an isolated intestinal sac model. The metabolic regulatory effects were further investigated in a high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced T2DM rat model. Results: SIP@CS-TPP nanoparticles exhibited a uniform particle size of 188.9 ± 12.8 nm, a surface charge of 28.3 ± 5.1 mV, and good stability after freeze-drying. A pH-responsive and diffusion-controlled release profile was observed. Ex vivo studies demonstrated significantly enhanced intestinal transport, with an approximately 3.7-fold increase in apparent permeability compared with free SIP. In vivo, SIP@CS-TPP improved glycemic control, glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses more effectively than free SIP at the same dose. Conclusions: The CS-TPP nanodelivery system effectively enhances the oral delivery and metabolic regulatory effects of SIP. This study highlights the potential of a delivery-oriented strategy to improve the in vivo performance of natural polysaccharides and provides a promising approach for their application in metabolic disease management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Applications of Chitosan Nanoparticles)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop