Chitosan Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems

Chitosan nanoparticle drug delivery systems exploit a naturally derived, cationic polysaccharide renowned for its biocompatibility, biodegradability and inherent mucoadhesive properties. Formed primarily by ionic gelation with multivalent anions such as tripolyphosphate, these nanoparticles offer tunable size, surface charge and porosity, enabling high drug‐loading efficiencies and controlled release profiles. Key physicochemical variables include chitosan molecular weight, degree of acetylation, polymer concentration and the ionic environment, each of which dictates particle uniformity, stability and interaction with biological barriers. Functionally, chitosan nanoparticles have been applied to enhance oral bioavailability, achieve stimuli-responsive release in tumour microenvironments, deliver nucleic acids for gene silencing and promote antibacterial therapies and wound healing. Globally, their versatility addresses pressing challenges in targeted therapy, reduction of off-target toxicity and improved patient compliance.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Seminal studies have clarified the fundamental parameters governing nanoparticle formation. Systematic design-of-experiments analyses demonstrate that initial chitosan concentration and acetylation degree are primary determinants of hydrodynamic diameter, while salt concentration fine-tunes particle growth and aggregation. Complementary investigations using microdroplet reactors capture nucleation dynamics in real time, revealing that rapid dilution and temperature control can produce narrowly distributed nanoparticles of 60–80 nm within seconds. These findings provide reproducible production routes from nano- to micrometre scales, informing strategies to tailor surface morphology and charge for optimised drug encapsulation and release kinetics.

Chitosan Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in chitosan nanoparticle drug delivery systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Ionic gelation: A mild cross-linking method in which positively charged chitosan interacts electrostatically with multivalent anions to form nanoparticles.

Zeta potential: The measure of electrical potential at a particle’s surface, indicating colloidal stability and interaction propensity with cells.

Polydispersity index (PDI): Quantifies the breadth of particle size distribution; lower values reflect more uniform populations.

Degree of acetylation: The fraction of acetylated units in chitosan, governing solubility, charge density and encapsulation characteristics.

References

1. Preassembled complexes of hAgo2 and ssRNA delivered by nanoparticles: a novel silencing gene expression approach overcoming the absence of the canonical pathway of siRNA processing in the apicomplexan parasite Babesia microti, blood parasite of veterinary and zoonotic importance. Emerging Microbes & Infections (2025).
2. Optimize the parameters for the synthesis by the ionic gelation technique, purification, and freeze-drying of chitosan-sodium tripolyphosphate nanoparticles for biomedical purposes. Journal of Biological Engineering (2024).
3. Chitosan-based Mupirocin and Alkanna tinctoria extract nanoparticles for the management of burn wound: In vitro and in vivo characterization. Nanotechnology Reviews (2024).
4. Parameters influencing the size of chitosan-TPP nano- and microparticles. Scientific Reports (2018).
5. Chitosan nanoparticles synthesis caught in action using microdroplet reactions. Scientific Reports (2016).