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Review
. 2021 Aug;26(8):1825-1840.
doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.04.014. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Overcoming the protein corona in chitosan-based nanoparticles

Anna E Caprifico  1 , Peter J S Foot  1 , Elena Polycarpou  1 , Gianpiero Calabrese  2
Affiliations
Review

Overcoming the protein corona in chitosan-based nanoparticles

Anna E Caprifico et al. Drug Discov Today. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Numerous properties of chitosan have led to its extensive use in the formulation of nanomaterials for drug delivery. However, the cationic surface of chitosan-based nanoparticles adsorbs proteins upon exposure to biological fluids, forming a phenomenon known as 'protein corona'. This causes several effects such as decreased bioavailability and limited in vivo clinical applications of chitosan nanoparticles. Understanding and overcoming the effects of protein adsorption on chitosan nanoparticles is key for drug delivery purposes. This review focuses on the strategies implemented to increase the stability of chitosan nanoparticles in the systemic circulation by averting the formation of protein corona and the limitations of PEGylation.

Keywords: Chitosan; Chitosan derivatives; Chitosan nanoparticles; Immune system; Protein corona.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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