CHITOSAN AS BIOMATERIAL - AN OVERVIEW OF FUNCTIONALISATION WITH PLANTS EXTRACT

Chitosan as natural biomaterial is used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as a biomaterial alone, as well as in combination with other polymers. The recent research to obtain functionalized chitosan has also focused on the use of environmentally friendly natural resources, introducing different plants, for which new properties and applications in various modern fields have been highlighted. The use of hydro-alcoholic extracts and essential oils from plants to the production of functionalized chitosan-based materials (membranes, films, nanoparticles) shown improved antimicrobial properties and the use of these materials in various fields (medicine, food, industry, cosmetics and environment). The most valuable sources of natural compounds come from plants, being represented by a wide class of phenolic substances that can appear in all parts of plants in fresh or in dried form, extracts or essential oils from seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, leaves, roots or even from the stem and bark. The characterisation of membranes and films incorporating chitosan and plants extracts are referring of physical characterisation, structural, morphological structure, mechanical and biological properties based on their antimicrobial potential.