Thanks to their unique properties, chitosan and chitosan-based materials have numerous applications in the field of biomedicine, especially in drug delivery. This book examines biomedical applications of functional chitosan, exploring the various functions and applications in the development of chitosan-based biomaterials. It also describes the chemical structure of chitosan and discusses the relationship between their structure and functions, providing a theoretical basis for the design of biomaterials. Lastly, it reviews chemically modified and composite materials of chitin and chitosan derivatives for biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, nanomedicine, drug delivery, and gene delivery.

Chitosan in Drug Delivery provides thorough insights into chitosan chemistry, collection, chemical modifications, characterization and applications in the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare fields. The book explores molecular weight, degree of deacetylation and molecular geometry, emphasizing recent advances in the field as written by academic, industry and regulatory scientists. It will be a useful resource for pharmaceutical scientists, including industrial pharmacists, analytical scientists, postgraduate students, health care professionals and regulatory scientists actively involved in pharmaceutical product and process development in natural polymers containing drug delivery. - Provides methodologies for the design, development and selection of chitosan in drug delivery for particular therapeutic applications - Includes illustrations demonstrating the mechanism of biological interaction of chitosan - Discusses the regulatory aspects and demonstrates the clinical efficacy of chitosan

Chitosan in the Preservation of Agricultural Commodities presents a cohesive overview of research topics regarding the production and characterization of chitosan, the development of coatings and fi lms, its functional properties, and antimicrobial potential of this compound on economically important agricultural commodities. It includes the modes of action from a physiological, enzymatic, and molecular perspective, and evaluations of the activity of chitosan nanocomposites and nanoparticles in biological models. The first section deals with the chemical characteristics and functional properties of chitosan and new chitosan-based biomaterials intended for food preservation. The second section covers various aspects of the control achieved by chitosan on different microorganisms affecting various horticultural commodities, grains, and ornamentals, and its modes of action. The third section explores enzymatic and gene expression induction by chitosan application on fruit and vegetables; the fourth section offers insight on the use of chitosan nanocomposites in biological models associated with food conservation and control of microorganisms. Analyzes chitosan chemical and functional properties Explores obtaining, characterizing, and developing chitosan coatings and fi lms for agricultural use Presents functional properties, antimicrobial potential, and modes of action of chitosan from a physiological, enzymatic, and molecular perspective Includes biological models of the activity of chitosan nanocomposites and nanoparticles

Offers a comprehensive guide to the isolation, properties and applications of chitin and chitosan Chitin and Chitosan: Properties and Applications presents a comprehensive review of the isolation, properties and applications of chitin and chitosan. These promising biomaterials have the potential to be broadly applied and there is a growing market for these biopolymers in areas such as medical and pharmaceutical, packaging, agricultural, textile, cosmetics, nanoparticles and more. The authors – noted experts in the field – explore the isolation, characterization and the physical and chemical properties of chitin and chitosan. They also examine their properties such as hydrogels, immunomodulation and biotechnology, antimicrobial activity and chemical enzymatic modifications. The book offers an analysis of the myriad medical and pharmaceutical applications as well as a review of applications in other areas. In addition, the authors discuss regulations, markets and perspectives for the use of chitin and chitosan. This important book: Offers a thorough review of the isolation, properties and applications of chitin and chitosan. Contains information on the wide-ranging applications and growing market demand for chitin and chitosan Includes a discussion of current regulations and the outlook for the future Written for Researchers in academia and industry who are working in the fields of chitin and chitosan, Chitin and Chitosan: Properties and Applications offers a review of these promising biomaterials that have great potential due to their material properties and biological functionalities.

Chitosan Based Biomaterials: Fundamentals, Volume 1, provides the latest information on chitosan, a natural polymer derived from the marine material chitin. Chitosan displays unique properties, most notably biocompatibility and biodegradability. It can also be easily tuned to modify its structure or properties, making chitosan an excellent candidate as a biomaterial. Consequently, chitosan is being developed for many biomedical functions, ranging from tissue engineering and implant coatings to drug and gene delivery. This book looks at the fundamentals of chitosan-based biomaterials. - Contains specific focus on the techniques and technologies needed to develop chitosan for biomedical applications - Presents a comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals - Provides contributions from leading researchers with extensive experience in chitosan

The Handbook of Chitin and Chitosan: Preparation and Properties, Volume One, is a must-read for polymer chemists, physicists and engineers interested in the development of ecofriendly micro and nanostructured functional materials based on chitin and their various applications. The book addresses the entirety of working with these materials, from their isolation, preparation and properties, through composites, nanomaterials, manufacturing and characterizations. This is the first of three volumes in a series that contains the latest on the major applications of chitin and chitosan based IPN's, blends, gels, composites and nanocomposites, including environmental remediation, biomedical applications and smart material applications. - Provides a comprehensive overview of Chitin and Chitosan materials, from their synthesis and nanomaterials, to their manufacture and applications - Volume One focuses on the synthesis and properties of Chitosan and/or Chitin - Includes contributions from leading researchers across the globe and from industry, academia, government and private research institutions - Highlights current status and future opportunities

With the emergence of additive manufacturing, mass customization of biomaterials for complex tissue regeneration and targeted drug delivery applications is possible. This book emphasizes the fundamental concepts of biomaterials science, their structure–property relationships and processing methods, and biological responses in biomedical engineering. It focuses on recent advancements in biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, wound healing, drug delivery, cancer treatments, bioimaging, and theranostics. This book: Discusses design chemistry, modification, and processing of biomaterials Describes the efficacy of biomaterials at various scales for biological response and drug delivery Demonstrates technological advances from conventional to additive manufacturing Covers future of biofabrication and customized medical devices This volume serves as a go-to reference on functional biomaterials and is ideal for multi-disciplinary communities such as students and research professionals in materials science, biomedical engineering, healthcare, and medical fields.

The Handbook of Chitin and Chitosan: Chitin and Chitosan Based Polymer Materials for Various Applications, Volume Three, is a must-read for polymer chemists, physicists and engineers interested in the development of ecofriendly micro and nanostructured functional materials based on chitin and their various applications. The book addresses their isolation, preparation and properties and their composites, nanomaterials, manufacturing and characterizations. This is the third of three volumes in a series that contains the latest on the major applications of chitin and chitosan based IPN's, blends, gels, composites and nanocomposites, including environmental remediation, biomedical applications and smart material applications. - Provides a comprehensive overview of Chitin and Chitosan materials, from their synthesis and nanomaterials, to their manufacture and applications - Volume Three focuses on the applications of Chitin and Chitosan - Includes contributions from leading researchers across the globe and from industry, academia, government and private research institutions - Highlights current status and future opportunities

The main driving force behind the development of new applications for chitin and its derivative chitosan lies with the fact that these polysaccharides represent a renewable source of natural biodegradable polymers. Since chitin is the second most abundant natural polymer, academic as well as industrial scientists are faced with a great challenge to find new and practical applications for this material. This book provides an examination of the state of the art, and discusses new applications as well as potential products. Applications of Chitin and Chitosan deals almost exclusively with applications. Previous books in the field have devoted less than 30% of their material to commercial or medical uses. In the past thirty years, substantial progress has been made on fundamental and applied research in chitosan technology. One of the driving forces behind this rapid development has been the decrease in the supply of natural resources. At the same time there has been an increased realization that there are abundant alternative bioresources. Two factors-economics and versatility-have also stimulated interest in chitosan's utilization in various fields. Chitin and chitosan derivatives have applications in fields that range from fertilizers to pharmaceuticals. Chitosan is no longer just a waste by-product from the seafood processing industry. This material is now being utilized by industry to solve problems and to improve existing products, as well as to create new ones. Applications of Chitin and Chitosan is illustrated with over 100 photos, charts, graphs and figures and more than 40 tables. Applications of Chitin and Chitosan will be of interest to industrial personnel involved in bioprocessing as well as bioengineering students, specialists in the biomedical and biopharmaceutical industry, biochemists, food engineers, environmentalists, and microbiologists and biologists who specialize in chitosan technology. Publication: Fall 1996.

The food packaging industry is experiencing one of the most relevant revolutions associated with the transition from fossil-based polymers to new materials of renewable origin. However, high production costs, low performance, and ethical issues still hinder the market penetration of bioplastics. Recently, coating technology was proposed as an additional strategy for achieving a more rational use of the materials used within the food packaging sector. According to the packaging optimization concept, the use of multifunctional thin layers would enable the replacement of multi-layer and heavy structures, thus reducing the upstream amount of packaging materials while maintaining (or even improving) the functional properties of the final package to pursue the goal of overall shelf life extension. Concurrently, the increasing requirements among consumers for convenience, smaller package sizes, and for minimally processed, fresh, and healthy foods have necessitated the design of highly sophisticated and engineered coatings. To this end, new chemical pathways, new raw materials (e.g., biopolymers), and non-conventional deposition technologies have been used. Nanotechnology, in particular, paved the way for the development of new architectures and never-before-seen patterns that eventually yielded nanostructured and nanocomposite coatings with outstanding performance. This book covers the most recent advances in the coating technology applied to the food packaging sector, with special emphasis on active coatings and barrier coatings intended for the shelf life extension of perishable foods.