Tumor-targeting glycol chitosan nanocarriers: overcoming the challenges posed by chemotherapeutics

Introduction: In the past decade, the glycol chitosan nanocarriers (GCNCs) have been widely used for tumor-targeted delivery of anticancer agents such as chemo drugs, peptides, and genes due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and easy fabrication. In particular, GCNCs can effectively solubilize water-insoluble chemo drugs as well as improve the delivery efficiency of chemo drugs to the tumor, resulting in maximizing therapeutic efficacy and minimizing side effect. In this review, we introduce the various applications of GCNCs for cancer treatment and these GCNCs demonstrate the great potential in overcoming challenges of chemotherapeutics.Areas covered: Various designs of GC nanocarriers have been reviewed. The current state of GC nanocarriers for delivering chemotherapeutics with a focus on their physicochemical properties including solubilization of anti-cancer drugs, sustain…