Chitosan-based nanocomposites for gene delivery: Application and future perspectives

Chitosan is produced through the chitin deacetylation process, is considered to be a semisynthetic polymer, and is the second most abundant biopolymer. Due to its exclusive and diverse aspects, such as being nonallergenic and nontoxic, and its hydrophobicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, it has been considered as a potential biopolymer material for many multifunctional applications. Chitosan has an extensive range of applications in many fields such as biosensor, biomedical, etc., due to the presence of amino and hydroxyl groups in its backbone. Among all these application, currently, chitosan is predominantly used in gene delivery. In order to advance chitosan’s effectiveness, various nanocomposites of chitosan with different polymers, nanotubes, bioglass, noble metals, and other moieties have been synthesized. This chapter focuses mainly on applications and composites of chitosan for gene delivery.