Antimicrobial Properties of Carboxymethyl Chitosan Derivatives and Its Composites

Chitosan and its derivatives are being widely used in the biomedical field mainly because of its properties like biodegradability, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial activity. The main disadvantage of parent chitosan is the poor water solubility. The water-soluble, carboxymethyl chitosan derivative has better properties leading it to be a more suitable choice in cases of drug delivery, tissue engineering, hemostasis, and wound healing. Carboxymethyl chitosan derivative had shown significant antibacterial and antifungal activity which have been studied. This review mainly discusses the antibacterial and antifungal activity of carboxymethyl chitosan in detail.