Resorbable chitosan matrix-a promising biomaterial for the future

Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide, having structural characteristics similar to glycosaminoglycans seems to be non-toxic and bioadsorbable. The chitosan matrix has been extensively investigated in the author's laboratory for a variety of biomedical applications, such as the removal of bilirubin, haemodialysis membranes, for delivery of drugs, charcoal encapsulated chitosan beads (ACCB) for toxin removal, specific immunoadsorbent matrix, chitosan coated hydroxyapatite as orthopaedic and dental dialysis materials etc. Thus, chitosan is a viable material, which can be fabricated into various forms, such as beads, granules tablets, membranes etc, as per requirements. With all these variety of biomedical uses, it appears, chitosan may be a future promise for anchoring the tissue interfaces. This paper highlights the importance of this novel matrix for such biomedical applications.