Chitosan Modification and Pharmaceutical/Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Chitosan has received much attention as a functional biopolymer for diverse applications, especially in pharmaceutics and medicine. Our recent efforts focused on the chemical and biological modification of chitosan in order to increase its solubility in aqueous solutions and absorbability in the in vivo system, thus for a better use of chitosan. This review summarizes chitosan modification and its pharmaceutical/biomedical applications based on our achievements as well as the domestic and overseas developments: (1) enzymatic preparation of low molecular weight chitosans/chitooligosaccharides with their hypocholesterolemic and immuno-modulating effects; (2) the effects of chitin, chitosan and their derivatives on blood hemostasis; and (3) synthesis of a non-toxic ion ligand—D-Glucosaminic acid from Oxidation of D-Glucosamine for cancer and diabetes therapy.

Influence of the Chemical Structure and Physicochemical Properties of Chitin- and Chitosan-Based Materials on Their Biomedical Activity

“…Mao et al observed a direct correlation between the degree of deacetylation of chitosan and adhesion (Mao et al, 2004) The study revealed that the smaller the increases in DA, the stronger the cell adhesion. Not only DA, but also the distribution of acetyl groups along the chain (random or blockwise) can affect the biomedical properties of chitin/chitosan as a result of changes in the solubility, inter-chain interactions due to H-bonds and the hydrophobic nature of the acetyl group (Zhang et al, 2010b). Because of their considerable biocompatibility, quite easily controlled biodegradability and mucoadhesion, chitin and chitosan have been widely employed in drug and gene delivery, wound healing, tissue regeneration and some other biomedical applications.…”

“…For some medical and pharmaceutical applications LMWC and chitooligosaccharides (COS) are more suitable. The exact product can be obtained by the enzymatic or chemical hydrolysis of polymer chains (Aranaz et al, 2009;Zhang et al, 2010b;Aam et al, 2010).…”

Inhibitory Effect of Chitosan-Containing Lotion on Scratching Response of Hairless Mice with Atopic Dermatitis-Like Dry Skin

“…Chitosan, a polysaccharide of b-(1,4) linked D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, is obtained from partial N-deacetylation of chitin, which is widely distributed in nature in the exoskeletons of crustaceans. Chitosan has attracted attention as a functional biopolymer for diverse applications, especially in pharmaceutics and medicine, 12) because of a variety of biological activities, such as hemostatic, antimicrobial, and wound-healing properties; however, little has been reported on the effectiveness of chitosan against itch. Furthermore, we recently examined, using guinea pigs, the effect of application of chitosan-containing lotion (CL) on acute skin barrier disruption, and found that CL application improved skin barrier function (Shimizu et al, unpublished observation).…”

Effects of Chitosan-oligosaccharide on diarrhoea in Hanwoo calves

“…Chemically, it is a high molecular weight linear polycationic heteropolysaccharide consisting of two monosaccharides, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine and d-glucosamine, linked together by β-(1→4) glycosidic bonds (Liu et al 2006). In the medical field, chitosan has been developed not only as artificial skin, absorbable surgical suture, and a wound healing accelerator, but also as a new physiological material due to its antitumour, immune-enhancing, antimicrobial and hypocholesterolemic properties (Zhang et al 2010).…”