Chitosan and Pluronic® F-127: Pharmaceutical Applications

What is it about?

Chitosan is a polyelectrolyte with reactive functional groups, gel-forming capability, high adsorption capacity, and biodegradability. This polymer is biocompatible and non-toxic to living tissues and has antibacterial, antifungal, and antitumor activities. Extensive applications have been reported in medicine such as for regenerative medicine, in wound dressings, and for the preparation of controlled drug release systems. On the other hand, Pluronic® F-127, a nonionic surfactant, is a polymer compatible with many different substances. Its micellar properties and its thermal gelation behavior render systems with excellent solubility as well as suitable delivery rates. Considerable attention has been given to chitosan and Pluronic® F-127, as these molecules together have interesting applications. Investigations are underway to find out if the combination can be used in more versatile drug delivery systems (micro/nanoparticles, nanofi bers, drug conjugate, and hydrogels). This strategy for functionalization by modulating physicochemical properties has improved the the drug’s vectorization, stability, and bioavailability for most routes of administration. This work reviews the use, applications, and advantages of chitosan and Pluronic® F-127 in novel pharmaceutical systems used for parenteral and non-parenteral routes.

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Why is it important?

Chitosan and Pluronic® F-127 have excellent gel-forming capability, high adsorption capacity, and biocompatibility. They have been proven to be potential carriers for delivery of different drug molecules for most routes of administration including oral, topical, intranasal, ocular, and parenteral. Moreover, these biomaterials are able to generate structures with predictable pore sizes and degradation rates for bone and cartilage regeneration. This entry summarizes recent developments in their properties and applications for biomedical and pharmaceutical uses. In the last 5 years, modified chitosan and Pluronic® F-127 have been extensively explored to develop successful systems with new physicochemical properties such as hydrophilicity, size, and surface charge. This strategy has improved the hydrophilic, vectorization, stability, mucoadhesivity as well as low protein adsorption and opsonization during circulation, resulting in prolonged blood circulation for parenteral systems. Important benefits have been produced in the areas of mucosal delivery of poorly absorbed drugs, especially peptides and proteins, which have prolonged their drug residence time. Although few systems have been well characterized to be applied, many systems have enhanced biomedical properties and reduced their toxicity.

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