Nanosystems for the Encapsulation of Natural Products: The Case of Chitosan Biopolymer as a Matrix
Anastasia Detsi,
Eleni Kavetsou,
Ioanna Kostopoulou,
Ioanna Pitterou,
Antonella Rozaria Nefeli Pontillo,
Andromachi Tzani,
Paris Christodoulou,
Aristeia Siliachli,
Panagiotis Zoumpoulakis
Affiliations
Anastasia Detsi
Department of Chemical Sciences, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou 9, Zografou Campus, 15780 Athens, Greece
Eleni Kavetsou
Department of Chemical Sciences, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou 9, Zografou Campus, 15780 Athens, Greece
Ioanna Kostopoulou
Department of Chemical Sciences, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou 9, Zografou Campus, 15780 Athens, Greece
Ioanna Pitterou
Department of Chemical Sciences, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou 9, Zografou Campus, 15780 Athens, Greece
Antonella Rozaria Nefeli Pontillo
Department of Chemical Sciences, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou 9, Zografou Campus, 15780 Athens, Greece
Andromachi Tzani
Department of Chemical Sciences, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou 9, Zografou Campus, 15780 Athens, Greece
Paris Christodoulou
Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Vassileos Constantinou Ave. 48, 116 35 Athens, Greece
Aristeia Siliachli
Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Vassileos Constantinou Ave. 48, 116 35 Athens, Greece
Panagiotis Zoumpoulakis
Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Vassileos Constantinou Ave. 48, 116 35 Athens, Greece
Chitosan is a cationic natural polysaccharide, which has emerged as an increasingly interesting biomaterialover the past few years. It constitutes a novel perspective in drug delivery systems and nanocarriers’ formulations due to its beneficial properties, including biocompatibility, biodegradability and low toxicity. The potentiality of chemical or enzymatic modifications of the biopolymer, as well as its complementary use with other polymers, further attract the scientific community, offering improved and combined properties in the final materials. As a result, chitosan has been extensively used as a matrix for the encapsulation of several valuable compounds. In this review article, the advantageous character of chitosan as a matrix for nanosystemsis presented, focusing on the encapsulation of natural products. A five-year literature review is attempted covering the use of chitosan and modified chitosan as matrices and coatings for the encapsulation of natural extracts, essential oils or pure naturally occurring bioactive compounds are discussed.
