Abstract:Mucosal delivery of complex molecules such as peptides, proteins, oligonucleotides, and plasmids is of increasing interest in recent years. Using a hydrophilic polysaccharide (chitosan) as colloidal carriers has become a promising alternative for improving the transport of such macromolecules across biological surfaces. This article reviews the approaches to prepare drug-loaded nanoparticles derived from chitosan and the action mechanism of their efficacy in improvement of the transport of the associated molecule through biological surfaces. Chitosan can form colloidal particles and entrap macromolecules through a number of mechanisms, including ionic crosslinking, covalent crosslinking, desolvating, supramolecular complexation, or self-assemblies. The potential applications and prospects of these new systems for mucosal delivery of macromolecules are also highlighted.
