Among the several delivery materials available so far, polysaccharides represent
very attractive molecules as they can undergo a wide range of chemical modifications, are
biocompatible, biodegradable, and have low immunogenic properties. Thus, polysaccharides
can contribute to significantly overcome the limitation in the use of many types of drugs,
including anti-cancer drugs. The use of conventional anti-cancer drugs is hampered by their
high toxicity, mostly depending on the indiscriminate targeting of both cancer and normal
cells. Additionally, for nucleic acid based drugs (NABDs), an emerging class of drugs with
potential anti-cancer value, the practical use is problematic. This mostly depends on their
fast degradation in biological fluids and the difficulties to cross cell membranes. Thus, for
both classes of drugs, the development of optimal delivery materials is crucial. Here we
discuss the possibility of using different kinds of polysaccharides, such as chitosan,
hyaluronic acid, dextran, and pullulan, as smart drug delivery materials. We first describe
the main features of polysaccharides, then a general overview about the aspects ruling drug
release mechanisms and the pharmacokinetic are reported. Finally, notable examples of
polysaccharide-based delivery of conventional anti-cancer drugs and NABDs are reported.
Whereas additional research is required, the promising results obtained so far, fully justify
further efforts, both in terms of economic support and investigations in the field of
polysaccharides as drug delivery materials.
