Chitosan-based injectable hydrogels for biomedical applications

Abstract

Chitosan is a natural polymer, which has similar structure and bioactivity with glycosaminoglycan, and is a potential material for use as injectable hydrogels. Authors elucidate structure–property relationship with particular focus on chitosan-based injectable hydrogels, and their application as biomaterials. The different gelation approach, including physical cross-link, chemical cross-link, ionic cross-link and supramolecular interaction, enable a variety of chitosan-based injectable hydrogels to be formed. These gelation methods have significant impact on the structure and properties of hydrogels, which governs their use as tissue engineering scaffold and drug delivery vehicle.