Biological effects of chitosan and its derivatives

Effects of chitosan combined with nisin treatment on storage quality of large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea)

Effects of chitosan combined with different concentrations of nisin on quality enhancement of large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) stored at 4 °C were evaluated for 8 days. Changes in sensory score and volatile spoilage products, total viable counts (TVC), and physiochemical indexes including weight loss, colour, pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), and K-value were examined. Results demonstrated that nisin-treated samples presented better quality preservation effects than chitosan alone. 1% chitosan combined with 0.6% nisin presented optimal quality enhancement effects, such as moisture loss control, volatile spoilage inhibition, TVB-N reduction, TVC growth control, and colour and sensory acceptability maintenance. Therefore, chitosan combined with nisin is promising in large yellow croaker shelf life extension.

Characterization and toxicology evaluation of chitosan nanoparticles on the embryonic development of zebrafish, Danio rerio

In the present study, chitosan nanoparticles were prepared, characterized and used to evaluate the embryonic toxicology on zebrafish (Danio rerio). The average particle size of chitosan nanoparticles was 84.86nm. The increased mortality and decreased hatching rate was found in the zebrafish embryo exposure to normal chitosan particles and chitosan nanoparticles with the increased addition concentration. At 120h post-fertilization (hpf), the rate of mortality were 25.0 and 44.4% in the groups treated with chitosan nanoparticles and normal chitosan particles at 250mg/L, respectively. At 72hpf, the hatching rate in the groups treated with normal chitosan particles were lower (P<0.01) at 300 and 400mg/L than those of the corresponding control groups, respectively. However, there were no significant differences between the groups treated with chitosan nanoparticles and the control groups across all the addition concentrations. More abundant typical malformation of embryos was observed in the groups treated with normal chitosan particles compared with those treated with chitosan nanoparticles. The LC50 (medium lethal concentration) of chitosan nanoparticles was 280mg/L at 96hpf and 270mg/L at 120hpf. As for normal chitosan particles, the LC50 was 257mg/L at both 96hpf and 120hpf. The TC50 (medium teratogenic concentration) of the zebrafish treated with chitosan nanoparticles and normal chitosan particles were 257mg/L and 137mg/L, respectively. It indicated that the chitosan nanoparticles were relatively more secure compared with normal chitosan particles.

Preparation, characterization and antibacterial activity of chitosan and phosphorylated chitosan from cuttlebone of Sepia kobiensis (Hoyle, 1885)

Chitosan is a commercially available derivative of chitin that has been extensively studied for its antimicrobial properties. In order to improve the water solubility and its biological activity, the chemical modification or derivatisation is attempted. In the present investigation, the chitosan prepared from the cuttlebone of Sepia kobiensis was being chemically modified by reacting it with orthophosphoric acid so as to obtain phosphorylated chitosan. Then the chitosan and phosphorylated chitosan were structurally characterized through FT-IR spectroscopy. Further the antibacterial activity of chitosan and phosphorylated chitosan was tested against clinically isolated human pathogens (Gram-positive: Streptococcus sp., Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative: Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, V. alginolyticus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella sp. and Proteus vulgaris) by well diffusion method and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was also calculated. The results of the present study suggests that the chitosan and phosphorylated chitosan has concentration dependent antibacterial activity with variation against several pathogenic human pathogenic bacterial strains which indicates their possible use as antibacterial agents.

Immunostimulative Activity of Low Molecular Weight Chitosans in RAW264.7 Macrophages

Chitosan and its derivatives such as low molecular weight chitosans (LMWCs) have been reported to exert many biological activities, such as antioxidant and antitumor effects. However, complex and molecular weight dependent effects of chitosan remain controversial and the mechanisms that mediate these complex effects are still poorly defined. This study was carried out to investigate the immunostimulative effect of different molecular weight chitosan in RAW264.7 macrophages. Our data suggested that two LMWCs (molecular weight of 3 kDa and 50 kDa) both possessed immunostimulative activity, which was dependent on dose and, at the higher doses, also on the molecular weight. LMWCs could significantly enhance the the pinocytic activity, and induce the production of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), nitric oxide (NO) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in a molecular weight and concentration-dependent manner. LMWCs were further showed to promote the expression of the genes including iNOS, TNF-α. Taken together, our findings suggested that LMWCs elicited significantly immunomodulatory response through up-regulating mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines and activated RAW264.7 macrophage in a molecular weight- and concentration-dependent manner.