ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the various marine biopolymers, and their properties and applications in drug delivery. Chemotherapy, which is used alone or in combination with other forms of treatment, is the treatment of cancer with one or more cytotoxic anticancer drugs, aiming at curing cancer, prolonging life, or palliating symptoms. Marine crustacean shells (crab and shrimp) are the major commercial sources of chitosan, the partially deacetylated derivative of chitin. Compared to other synthetic and natural anticancer drugs, curcumin has drawn special attention because it can suppress cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest and can cause apoptosis in various cancer cells. The introduction of lenalidomide and other new anticancer agents, such as thalidomide and bortezomib, has a major impact on the outcomes in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), significantly improving 5-10 years of survival rates. The chapter checks the suitability of the alginate-curcumin conjugate for the enhanced delivery of curcumin to hepatocytes by attaching a galactose moiety on alginate.
