Chitosan: Preparation & properties

The science of drug delivery is always effected by the choice of polymers which act as carriers. Synthetic polymers frequently suffer from the problem of being non-biocompatible and non-biodegradable. Natural polymers, therefore are a promising solution to this problem. Among the natural polymers, Chitosan is the most abundant polysaccharide, infact second only to cellulose. Chitosan is obtained from deacetylation of chitin. An attempt has been made here to review the preparation and properties of chitosan, which has received considerable attention because of its low cost, being environmental friendly and its safety.