English Views: 2 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2021-09-15 Origin: Site
Chitosan, also known as chitin, is obtained by deacetylation of chitin, which is widely present in nature, and its chemical name is polyglucosamine (1-4)-2-amino-B-D glucose. The excellent properties of this natural polymer such as biofunctionality and compatibility, blood compatibility, safety, microbial degradability, etc. have been widely concerned by all walks of life. It is widely used in medicine, food, chemical industry, cosmetics, water treatment, metal extraction and Many fields such as recycling, biochemistry and biomedical engineering play an important role.
Chitosan has free amino groups in its molecule, and it is easy to form a salt in acidic solution, showing cationic nature. As the number of amino groups in the molecule of chitosan increases, its amino characteristics become more prominent. Under certain conditions, chitosan can undergo hydrolysis, alkylation, acylation, carboxymethylation, sulfonation, nitration, and halogenation. Chemical reactions such as oxidation, reduction, condensation and complexation can generate various chitosan derivatives with different properties, thereby expanding the application range of chitosan. This laid the foundation for many biological and processing characteristics of chitosan.
Chitosan is easy to dissolve in weak acid solvents. It is especially worth pointing out that the dissolved solution contains amino groups (NH2+), which inhibit bacteria by binding negative electrons. The antibacterial activity of chitosan makes it widely used in medicine, textile and food.
Chitosan has a high protein adsorption capacity; under the action of degrading enzymes (lysozyme, kitinase), chitosan is degradable, in serum, chitosan is easy to degrade and absorb; chitosan has a higher Biodegradability: Chitosan shows a selective and highly inhibitory effect on the growth of oral Streptococcus, while it does not affect the growth of other beneficial bacteria.
