The fabrication strategies for chitosan/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) based hydrogels and their biomedical applications: A focused review

Chitosan (CS) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) blend provide enhanced mechanical properties, biocompatibility, stability, antimicrobial properties, and versatility in fabrication. Due to these inherent biocompatible and antimicrobial properties, CS/PVP based hydrogels have been used in various biomedical applications. Herein, we have provided an overview of the recent developments in the fabrication of CS/PVP hydrogels and their nanocomposite with better structural and functional properties. Combining CS/PVP with nano-architectures results in amendments in the structure and properties of the CS/PVP matrices. Hence, recent developments in using CS/PVP hydrogels and their nanocomposites for drug delivery, protein/gene delivery, and wound healing applications are described here.