Polysaccharide based Copolymers as Supramolecular Systems in Biomedical Applications

Title:Polysaccharide based Copolymers as Supramolecular Systems in Biomedical Applications

Volume: 16 Issue: 14

Author(s): Regina Célia Monteiro de Paula, Judith Pessoa Andrade Feitosa and Haroldo César Beserra Paula

Affiliation:

Keywords: Polysaccharides, block copolymers, graft copolymers, drug delivery, nanoparticles.

Abstract: Polysaccharides are natural polymers, obtained from a large variety of sources ranging from fungi to more complex organisms such as birds and whales. Their use for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications has been the subject of numerous researches by the world´s academia. Polysaccharide chemical/physical modifications leading to graft copolymers are discussed in this review, focusing on those nanosystems that are potential candidates for drug delivery applications. Therefore, this review focuses on the biomedical application of polysaccharide based copolymers, particularly as nanocarriers. Copolymer of polysaccharides such as alginate, cellulose, chitosan, dextran, guar, hyaluronic acid, pullulan and starch as drug delivery nanocarriers will be discussed.

Cite this article as:

Célia Monteiro de Paula Regina, Andrade Feitosa Pessoa Judith and Beserra Paula César Haroldo, Polysaccharide based Copolymers as Supramolecular Systems in Biomedical Applications, Current Drug Targets 2015; 16 (14) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389450116666151001113537