ABSTRACT
Chitosan is an amino polysaccharide obtained by alkaline deacetylation of naturally abundant chitin, a cellulose-like polymer found in fungal cell walls, yeast, lower plants, and the exoskeletons of arthropods such as insects, crabs, shrimps, lobsters, and other vertebrates. Chitin and chitosan have found wide application in a variety of areas such as paper production, textiles, metal chelation, food additives, antimicrobial agents, adhesives, and other industrial applications (Lin-Gibson et al. 2003). Due to their biodegradable, biocompatible, and antibacterial properties, they also play very important roles in medicine and pharmaceutics. Especially, chitosan is known to have immunoenhancing effects, antitumor activities, and increased protective effects against infection caused by certain pathogens. Here we review the anticancer activities of chitosan and its use as the delivery systems for drugs and bioactive agents in cancer treatment. The application of chitosan-based nanoparticles in cancer diagnosis is also presented.
