Chitin and Chitosan: Sustainable, Medically Relevant Biomaterials

Authors

  • Christopher J. Brigham Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6000/1927-3037.2017.06.02.1

Keywords:

Chitin, chitosan, medical device, biomaterial, N-acetyl glucosamine, seafood waste

Abstract

The polysaccharides chitin and chitosan are made up of monomer units of the amino sugars D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. The ratio of these two monomers dictates whether the polysaccharide is considered chitin or chitosan. Both polymers have unique properties and have uses in several diverse applications. In nature, chitin and chitosan primarily play a structural role. When purified from their producing organism, these polymers exhibit useful structural, chemical and biological properties. Chitin and chitosan have been used in several applications including biomedicine, food additives, cosmetics, and more. The charged chitosan polymer is especially effective in biomedical applications, as it has been demonstrated to possess antimicrobial properties. This review explores the properties of chitin and chitosan and how these biopolymers are used in a variety of healthcare and other applications.

References

Shigemasa Y, Minami S. Applications of chitin and chitosan for biomaterials. Biotechnol Genet Eng Rev 1996; 13: 383-420. https://doi.org/10.1080/02648725.1996.10647935

Braconnot H. Sur la nature des champignons. Ann Chi Phys 1811; 79: 265-304.

Younes I, Rinaudo M. Chitin and chitosan preparation from marine sources. Structure, properties and applications. Mar Drugs 2015; 13(3): 1133-1174. https://doi.org/10.3390/md13031133

Meyers MA, Chen PY, Lin AYM, Seki Y. Biological materials: structure and mechanical properties. Prog Mater Sci 2008; 53: 1-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2007.05.002

Dutta PK, Dutta J, Tripathi J. Chitin and chitosan: Chemistry, properties and applications. J Sci Ind Res 2004; 64: 20-31.

Yang TL. Chitin-based materials in tissue engineering: applications in soft tissue and epithelial organ. Int J Mol Sci 2011; 12(3): 1936-1963. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms12031936

Lesage G, Bussey H. Cell wall assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2006; 70(2): 317-343. https://doi.org/10.1128/MMBR.00038-05

Merzendorfer H. The cellular basis of chitin synthesis in fungi and insects: common principles and differences. Eur J Cell Biol 2011; 90(9): 759-769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2011.04.014

Merzendorfer H, Zimoch L. Chitin metabolism in insects: structure, function and regulation of chitin synthases and chitinases. J Exp Biol 2003; 206(Pt 24): 4393-4412. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.00709

Chakrabarty AM. Nucleoside diphosphate kinase: role in bacterial growth, virulence, cell signalling and polysaccharide synthesis. Mol Microbiol 1998; 28(5): 875-882. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2958.1998.00846.x

Ginsburg V. Comparative biochemistry of nucleotide-linked sugars. Prog Clin Biol Res 1978; 23: 595-600.

Kumirska J, Weinhold MX, Thoeming J, Stepnowski P. Biomedical Activity of Chitin/Chitosan Based Materials— Influence of Physicochemical Properties Apart from Molecular Weight and Degree of N-Acetylation. Polymers 2011; 3: 1875-1901. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym3041875

Stirn A. The formula for lobster shell. Max Planck Research 2012; 1(12): 72-79.

Islam MS, Khan S, Tanaka M. Waste loading in shrimp and fish processing effluents: potential source of hazards to the coastal and nearshore environments. Mar Pollut Bull 2004; 49(1-2): 103-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2004.01.018

Arbia W, Arbia L, Adour L, Amrane A. Chitin Extraction from Crustacean Shells by Biological Methods - A review. Food Technol Biotechnol 2013; 51(1): 12-25.

Khor E. Chitin: Fulfilling a Biomaterials Promise. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science; 2001. 1-135.

Sorlier P, Denuziere A, Viton C, Domard A. Relation between the degree of acetylation and the electrostatic properties of chitin and chitosan. Biomacromolecules 2001; 2(3): 765-772. https://doi.org/10.1021/bm015531+

Rinaudo M. Chitin and chitosan: properties and applications. Prog Polym Sci 2006; 31: 603-632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2006.06.001

Tomihata K, Ikada Y. In vitro and in vivo degradation of films of chitin and its deacetylated derivatives. Biomaterials 1997; 18(7): 567-575. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0142-9612(96)00167-6

Foster LJ, Ho S, Hook J, Basuki M, Marcal H. Chitosan as a Biomaterial: Influence of Degree of Deacetylation on Its Physiochemical, Material and Biological Properties. PLoS One 2015; 10(8): e0135153. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135153

Jayakumar R, Chennazhi KP, Srinivasan S, Nair SV, Furuike T, Tamura H. Chitin scaffolds in tissue engineering. Int J Mol Sci 2011; 12(3): 1876-1887. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms12031876

Muxika A, Etxabide A, Uranga J, Guerrero P, de la Caba K. Chitosan as a bioactive polymer: processing, properties and applications. Int J Biol Macromol 2017 Jul 19. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.07.087

Dai T, Tanaka M, Huang YY, Hamblin MR. Chitosan preparations for wounds and burns: antimicrobial and wound-healing effects. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2011; 9(7): 857-879. https://doi.org/10.1586/eri.11.59

Azuma K, Izumi R, Osaki T, Ifuku S, Morimoto M, Saimoto H, et al. Chitin, chitosan, and its derivatives for wound healing: old and new materials. J Funct Biomater 2015; 6(1): 104-142. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb6010104

Anitha A, Sowmya S, Sudeesh Kumar PT, Deepthi S, Chennazhi KP, Ehrlich H, et al. Chitin and chitosan in selected biomedical applications. Prog Polym Sci 2014; 39: 1644-1667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2014.02.008

Weltrowski M, Martel B, Morcellet M. Chitosan N-benzyl sulfonate derivatives as sorbents for removal of metal ions in acidic medium. J Appl Polym Sci 1996; 59: 647-654. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4628(19960124)59:4<647::AID-APP10>3.0.CO;2-N

Bhavani KD, Dutta PK. Physico-chemical adsorption properties on chitin for dyehouse effluent. Am Dyestuff Rep 1999; 88: 53.

Chen X, Yang H, Yan N. Shell Biorefinery: Dream or Reality? Chemistry 2016; 22(38): 13402-13421. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201602389

Kurita K. Chemistry and application of chitin and chitosan. Polym Degrad Stab 1998; 59: 117-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0141-3910(97)00160-2

Sashiwa H, Shigemasa Y, Roy R. Chemical modification of chitosan: synthesis of dendronized chitosan-sialic acid hybrid by using convergent grafting of preassembled dendrons built on gallic acid and tri(ethylene glycol) backbone. Macromolecules 2001; 34(12): 3905-3909. https://doi.org/10.1021/ma001832k

Baba Y, Noma H, Nakayama R, Matsushita Y. Preparation of Chitosan Derivatives Containing Methylthiocarbamoyl and Phenylthiocarbamoyl Groups and Their Selective Adsorption of Copper(II) over Iron(III). Analyt Sci 2002; 18: 359-361. https://doi.org/10.2116/analsci.18.359

Qu X, Wirsen A, Albertsson AC. Effect of lactic/glycolic acid side chains on the thermal degradation kinetics of chitosan derivatives. Polymer 2001; 41: 4841-4847. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0032-3861(99)00704-1

Tokumitsu H, Ichikawa H, Fukumori Y. Chitosan-gadopentetic acid complex nanoparticles for gadolinium neutron-capture therapy of cancer: preparation by novel emulsion-droplet coalescence technique and characterization. Pharm Res 1999 Dec; 16(12): 1830-1835. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018995124527

Li Z, Du Y, Zhang Z, Pang D. Preparation and characterization of CdS quantum dots chitosan biocomposite. React Funct Polym 2003; 55: 35-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1381-5148(02)00197-9

Mow VC, Ratcliffe A, Poole AR. Cartilage and diarthrodial joints as paradigms for hierarchical materials and structures. Biomaterials 1992; 13(2): 67-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/0142-9612(92)90001-5

Suzuki D, Takahashi M, Abe M, Sarukawa J, Tamura H, Tokura S, et al. Comparison of various mixtures of beta-chitin and chitosan as a scaffold for three-dimensional culture of rabbit chondrocytes. J Mater Sci Mater Med 2008; 19(3): 1307-1315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-007-3245-9

Downloads

Published

2017-08-29

How to Cite

J. Brigham, C. (2017). Chitin and Chitosan: Sustainable, Medically Relevant Biomaterials. International Journal of Biotechnology for Wellness Industries, 6(2), 41–47. https://doi.org/10.6000/1927-3037.2017.06.02.1

Issue

Section

Articles