Applications of Chitosan in Surgical and Post-Surgical Materials

Abstract

The continuous advances in surgical procedures require continuous research regarding materials with surgical applications. Biopolymers are widely studied since they usually provide a biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-toxic material. Among them, chitosan is a promising material for the development of formulations and devices with surgical applications due to its intrinsic bacteriostatic, fungistatic, hemostatic, and analgesic properties. A wide range of products has been manufactured with this polymer, including scaffolds, sponges, hydrogels, meshes, membranes, sutures, fibers, and nanoparticles. The growing interest of researchers in the use of chitosan-based materials for tissue regeneration is obvious due to extensive research in the application of chitosan for the regeneration of bone, nervous tissue, cartilage, and soft tissues. Chitosan can serve as a substance for the administration of cell-growth promoters, as well as a support for cellular growth. Another interesting application of chitosan is hemostasis control, with remarkable results in studies comparing the use of chitosan-based dressings with traditional cotton gauzes. In addition, chitosan-based or chitosan-coated surgical materials provide the formulation with antimicrobial activity that has been highly appreciated not only in dressings but also for surgical sutures or meshes.

Secondary Reorientation and Hygroscopic Forces in Chitinous Biopolymers and Their Use for Passive and Biochemical Actuation

“…[ 22 ] Notably, this achievement was reported for an unmodified biomaterial of known biocompatibility, highlighting the potential use of passive actuation in medical applications. [ 23 ] However, hygroscopic actuation was negatively affected by enhanced crystallinity and molecular orientation, suggesting that the space occupied by some water expelled during stress‐induced crystallization was irreversibly lost. This reduction in the hygroscopic pulling force was particularly significant in the direction of uniaxial stress, suggesting that, similar to the cellulose orientation in plants, the hygroscopic forces in highly oriented chitinous biopolymers dominate in the direction perpendicular to the alignment.…”

Chitosan Superabsorbent Biopolymers in Sanitary and Hygiene Applications

“…Using CS in textiles provided various functionalities, such as anti-microbial, cosmetic, medical, thermoregulating, ultraviolet-protective, and insect-repellent textiles 10 International Journal of Polymer Science [43]. CS-coated surgical materials are cheap and provide anti-microbial activity, which has tremendously helped surgeries [79]. showed that the lowest molecular weight CS inhibited the microbes readily.…”

Novel Polycaprolactone‐Chitosan Hybrid Scaffold: A Double‐Sided Hernia Mesh for Regeneration of Abdominal Wall Defects with Minimized Adverse Adhesions

“…[88][89][90] As a substantial advantage, chitosan nanofibers have an intrinsic capability to inhibit the scar tissue formation on the surgical site. [32,80] On the other hand, regulated recruitment of myofibroblasts in the defect region is a key factor in complete tissue remodeling and depletion of scar formation. The presence of myofibrob-last cells can be easily detected through the surface expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (𝛼-SMA).…”

“…[27,[29][30][31] On the outer layer of the mesh, chitosan nanofibers are capable to provide a biocompatible substrate to enhance the vasculature, antibacterial properties, implant-tissue integration, and tissue remodeling. [32][33][34] Nonetheless, these predicted merits must be holistically evaluated through further characterizations as well as in vitro and in vivo examinations.…”