Rationally-designed Chitosan-based Polymeric Nanomaterials According to Intrinsic Characteristics for Cancer Therapy and Theranostics: A Review

Chitosan, the only naturally occurring polycationic polysaccharide derived from chitin, has long case been implicated in the designs of nanosystems for diverse biomedical and pharmaceutical applications owing to its exclusive biodegradability, biocompatibility, cationic property, and functional groups. Particularly, some intrinsic characteristics of chitosan equip it with high potential for facile preparation, flexible functionalization, and modification, which circumvent the defects of chitosan and account for extensive attempts in cancer therapy and theranostic. In this review, we first give a classifiable explanation of strategies in fabricating rationally-designed chitosan-based polymeric nanomaterials for cancer therapy, which are categorized by the physical, chemical, and biological intrinsic characteristics of chitosan, respectively. Specifically, examples harnessing the cationic charge of chitosan are clarified, and the accompanied pH-responsive ability functions frequently are also mentioned. Besides, strategies toward the modification of functional groups (amino and hydroxyl groups) in repeated glycosidic units of chitosan and their additional roles are also discussed here. Lastly, the biological superiority of chitosan as an adjuvant or a ligand for glycoprotein and the application of chitosan- based polymeric nanomaterials in theranostic are summarized. Altogether, this review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in chitosan-based polymeric nanomaterials for cancer therapy and theranostics from a brand new perspective.