Chitosan-drug encapsulation as a potential candidate for COVID-19 drug delivery systems: A review

Abstract

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO), Centre for DiseaseControl (CDC), and other health organizations around the world have coordinated the flow ofinformation and given out preventive directives measures and guidelines to reduce the impact andspread of the disease. Meanwhile, bodies of scientists and researchers around the world are stillworking ceaselessly to study the virus, mode of transmission mechanisms, and are rapidly developingtherapeutic antiviral drugs and vaccines. Thus, the urgent need for the fabrication of biocompatible andbiodegradable composite materials as drug delivery vehicles for the efficient loading, targeted delivery,and controlled release of antiviral drugs to the target site is been inspired. Therefore, this reviewhighlights the antimicrobial and antiviral activities of chitosan as well as the potency of a combinedtherapy via electrostatic/hydrogen bonding encapsulation onto the WHO suggested clinical trial drugsand possible chelation with metal ions to form new improved antiviral compounds as promising agentsfor targeted drug delivery.