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Review
. 2010;11(12):5152-64.
doi: 10.3390/ijms11125152. Epub 2010 Dec 15.

Applications of chitin and its derivatives in biological medicine

Bae Keun Park  1 , Moon-Moo Kim
Affiliations
Review

Applications of chitin and its derivatives in biological medicine

Bae Keun Park et al. Int J Mol Sci. 2010.

Abstract

Chitin and its derivatives-as a potential resource as well as multiple functional substrates-have generated attractive interest in various fields such as biomedical, pharmaceutical, food and environmental industries, since the first isolation of chitin in 1811. Moreover, chitosan and its chitooligosaccharides (COS) are degraded products of chitin through enzymatic and acidic hydrolysis processes; and COS, in particular, is well suited for potential biological application, due to the biocompatibility and nontoxic nature of chitosan. In this review, we investigate the current bioactivities of chitin derivatives, which are all correlated with their biomedical properties. Several new and cutting edge insights here may provide a molecular basis for the mechanism of chitin, and hence may aid its use for medical and pharmaceutical applications.

Keywords: anti-inflammatory; anticancer; antioxidant; chitin; chitosan; drug delivery.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Chitooligosaccharides (COS) can display anti-tumorigenic activity through immunomodulation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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