Carboxymethylated Polysaccharides in Drug Delivery Publisher



Zarrintaj P¹ ; Ganjali MR^{2, 3} ; Salmankhani A⁴ ; Mashhadzadeh AH⁵ ; Munir MT^{6, 7} ; Salehnia F² ; Rezapour M⁸ ; Habibzadeh S⁹ ; Saeb MR¹⁰
Source: Tailor-Made Polysaccharides in Drug Delivery Published:2022

Abstract

Drug delivery materials are complex in nature and need a wide variety of requirements from smart to classical design protocols. In this regard, the selection of materials is important. Based on the literature, considerable potential of natural polymers such as polysaccharides and their derivatives for drug delivery applications has been identified quite high. Therefore, finding novel routes of enhancing their performance has become an impotent branch of science in biomaterials and medicine. Due to the inevitable necessity, a wide variety of pristine polysaccharides have been examined; besides, a wide variety of chemical modification techniques have been developed. As a well-documented strategy, carboxymethylation (defined as introduction of a carboxymethyl group into a compound) has received great attention from researchers, which led to promising outcomes. Carboxymethylated polysaccharides with improved solubility and physicochemical properties have been continually synthesized and underwent innovative developing periods and many scientists recommended such derivatives of polysaccharides for drug delivery systems. These polysaccharides bearing cationic charges were found to be able to physically become cross-linked via electrostatic and ionic interaction with the polycationic species, small molecules, and metal ions to induce integrity. In this chapter, we have fully considered the principles and applications of drug delivery platforms based on carboxymethylated polysaccharides. We have outlined the results obtained by the most recent research outputs and tried to give a vivid direction to those seeking design of carboxymethyl polysaccharides by classifying researches carried out. As the main outcome of the present review, we attempted to highlight drug carriers obtained from ionically cross-linked carboxymethylated polysaccharides as promising candidates for delivery of various drugs such as chemotherapeutics, antiinflammatory drugs, and protein-based therapeutic agents. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.