Application of chitosan-based drug delivery systems in the treatment of bacterial diseases: a review.

Bacterial diseases are a significant challenge to human and animal health. The current treatment methods still have obvious shortcomings, such as poor targeting, low bioavailability, high side effects and drug resistance. Chitosan, with its outstanding biocompatibility, biodegradability, adhesiveness, antimicrobial properties, and ability to minimize drug side effects while improving bioavailability and therapeutic outcomes, serves as an ideal material for drug delivery systems, presenting a promising strategy for treating bacterial diseases. In this review, we briefly summarize the preparation methods of chitosan-based drug delivery systems and their application in the treatment of bacterial infections. The advantages of preparation of different types of chitosan-based drug delivery systems are discussed, supported by examples demonstrating their ability to improve drug antimicrobial activity, targeting, and bioavailability. Moreover, the current challenges, limitations, and future perspectives in this field were discussed, laying the groundwork for further development of chitosan-based drug delivery systems as high-performance and safe antimicrobial therapeutics.