Chitosan: A promising therapeutic agent and effective drug delivery system in managing diabetes mellitus.

Chitosan, a promising carbohydrate biopolymer is gaining scientific attention in a wide range of biomedical applications due to its outstanding chemical and pharmacokinetic properties. Recently, various studies have demonstrated the beneficial activities of chitosan in protecting and proliferating pancreatic beta cells, lowering hyperglycemia, and preventing impaired lipid metabolism associated diabetes mellitus. Moreover, chitosan has also been used in formulating several types of micro/nano-carriers for the delivery of different antidiabetic drugs, like insulin, GLP1, exendin-4, DPP-4 inhibitor, and plasmid encoding insulin or GLP to reduce hyperglycemia. This review for the first time provides an overview of the currently available evidences on the potential benefits of chitosan in managing diabetes mellitus and also emphasizes on the chitosan-based micro/nano-carriers in delivery of various antidiabetic drugs via oral, nasal, and subcutaneous routes. The outcome of this review will be helpful for the development of a novel therapeutic to achieve better control of diabetes mellitus.