title: Polysaccharide based Copolymers as Supramolecular Systems in Biomedical Applications.
abstract: Polysaccharides are natural polymers, obtained from a large variety of sources ranging from fungi to more complex organisms such as birds and whales. Their use for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications has been the subject of numerous researches by the world´s academia. Polysaccharide chemical/physical modifications leading to graft copolymers are discussed in this review, focusing on those nanosystems that are potential candidates for drug delivery applications. Therefore, this review focuses on the biomedical application of polysaccharide based copolymers, particularly as nanocarriers. Copolymer of polysaccharides such as alginate, cellulose, chitosan, dextran, guar, hyaluronic acid, pullulan and starch as drug delivery nanocarriers will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Organic and Inorganic Chemistry Department, Federal University of Ceará, CEP: 60455-760, Caixa Postal 6021 - R. Humberto Monte s/n, Campus do Pici, Brasil. rpaula@dqoi.ufc.br.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Célia Monteiro de Paula
authors.forename: Judith Pessoa
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Andrade Feitosa
authors.forename: Haroldo César
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Beserra Paula
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D058726:Nanoconjugates / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D036103:Nanotechnology; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D058726:Nanoconjugates; D011108:Polymers; D011134:Polysaccharides