Functional Chitosan Nanoparticles in Cancer Treatment

With exponential growth in nanotechnology and material chemistry, the application of a variety of nanomaterials in biomedical field has attracted increasing interest, especially in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nanoparticles have greatly revolutionized the therapy pattern of cancer owing to their specific targeting ability, prolonged circulation time, enhanced therapeutic efficacy, and decreased systemic side effects. Chitosan, a modified natural polysaccharide with excellent biocompatibility, has been intensively studied for use as carriers to deliver various drugs and genes in cancer treatment. This review provides an insight into the advances in chitosan-based nanoparticles with a focus on its therapeutic potential in cancer treatment.