Marine Polysaccharides as a Versatile Biomass for the Construction of Nano Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract

Marine biomass is a treasure trove of materials. Marine polysaccharides have the characteristics of biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, low cost, and abundance. An enormous variety of polysaccharides can be extracted from marine organisms such as algae, crustaceans, and microorganisms. The most studied marine polysaccharides include chitin, chitosan, alginates, hyaluronic acid, fucoidan, carrageenan, agarose, and Ulva. Marine polysaccharides have a wide range of applications in the field of biomedical materials, such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound dressings, and sensors. The drug delivery system (DDS) can comprehensively control the distribution of drugs in the organism in space, time, and dosage, thereby increasing the utilization efficiency of drugs, reducing costs, and reducing toxic side effects. The nano-drug delivery system (NDDS), due to its small size, can function at the subcellular level in vivo. The marine polysaccharide-based DDS combines the advantages of polysaccharide materials and nanotechnology, and is suitable as a carrier for different pharmaceutical preparations. This review summarizes the advantages and drawbacks of using marine polysaccharides to construct the NDDS and describes the preparation methods and modification strategies of marine polysaccharide-based nanocarriers.

The Influence of Cell Cycle Regulation on Chemotherapy

“…Cell cycle regulation has an important influence on the proliferation, metastasis, and recurrence of tumor cells [4]. In the current cancer treatment, the regulation of the cell cycle is mainly to control the expression of related genes and the activity of intracellular enzymes, proteins, or signal factors [5][6][7]. For example, chemotherapeutic drugs such as methotrexate (MTX) or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) mainly destroy the synthesis of nucleotides and DNA replication in the process of cell proliferation [8,9].…”

Algal Polysaccharides‐Based Nanoparticles for Targeted Drug Delivery Applications

“…Figure demonstrates the benefits and drawbacks of algal polysaccharides in the formation of drug delivery methods. [ 159 ] Based on current literature concerning algal‐based nano‐drug delivery systems, developments have been made to improve the drug delivery performance by improving stability, and drug‐loading capability, and decreasing pseudo‐allergic reactions upon in vivo and in vitro applications. [ 20,160 ] Further studies are necessary to improve the safety of industrially‐formulated algal polysaccharides and to control the problems on the prospective accumulation in the body.…”

“…Reproduced according to the terms of the creative commons (CC‐BY) license. [ 159 ] Copyright 2021, The authors, published by MDPI.…”

“…Advantages and drawbacks of algal polysaccharides in the development of drug delivery systems. Reproduced according to the terms of the creative commons (CC-BY) license [159]. Copyright 2021, The authors, published by MDPI.…”

One-Pot Synthesis of Amphiphilic Biopolymers from Oxidized Alginate and Self-Assembly as a Carrier for Sustained Release of Hydrophobic Drugs

“…Their hydrophobic core promotes the solubilization of water-insoluble drugs, protecting them from degradation by harsh environments, whereas their outer hydrophilic shell can reduce the binding of plasma proteins and minimize nonspecific uptake by the reticuloendothelial system (RES), prolonging their blood circulation time [15]. Naturally occurring polysaccharides used as a hydrophilic block, such as alginate, dextran, chitosan, heparin, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate, are the best candidates for the construction of polymeric micelles due to their well-reported biocompatibility, availability and cost-effectiveness as well as their abundant functional groups, amenable to chemical modifications [16][17][18][19][20].…”