Bioactivity of Chitin/Chitosan

Chitin is a biopolymer. It is the second only natural long-chain Polysaccharide on earth after cellulose. It is found that chitin has certain biological activities such as bacteriostatic and antioxidant. It has an important role in drug development. Chitosan is the product of the deacetylation of chitin, which is an alkaline polysaccharide in nature. As a natural polyglucosamine, chitosan is abundant in resources. It is environmentally friendly, safe, and non-toxic. Studies show that chitosan can reduce the severity of anthracnose in kidney beans and increase the glucanase activity of plants. Chitosan can significantly reduce the proliferation of T-cells, and decrease the activity of glutamine transaminase and glutamine transaminase. It also can prevent liver injury.

Chitin/Chitosan Analysis Service at CD BioGlyco

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the study of chitin and chitosan from different sources. CD BioGlyco develops a range of polysaccharide analysis services for chitin and chitosan. Our analytical services include structural analysis and metabolomics analysis. We aim to facilitate polysaccharide research partners.

• Polysaccharide structure analysis service

Chitin is widely distributed in arthropods, mollusks, annelids, fungi, and yeasts. Chitosan is mainly derived from the shells of marine organisms such as shrimps and crabs. Structural analysis is the basis for studying its biological activities and applications. We provide chitin/chitosan structural analysis services. We use a combination of protocols for analysis, including Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Chitin and chitosan from different sources are analyzed.

• Metabolomics analysis service

To further study the biological activity of chitin and chitosan, researchers analyze their mechanism of action from metabolomics. We provide targeted and non-targeted metabolomics analysis services. Our detection and characterization techniques for metabolites include mass spectrometry (MS), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), FT-IR, and ultraviolet absorption. We have a variety of testing equipment, including liquid chromatography-MS (LC-MS), gas chromatography-MS (GC-MS), etc.

Fig.1 Procedure for polysaccharide analysis. (CD BioGlyco)

Publication

Paper Title: Clove essential oil loaded chitosan nanocapsules on quality and shelf-life of blueberries

Technology: SEM, FT-IR

Journal: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

IF: 8.2

Published: 2023

Results: In this study, clove essential oil-loaded chitosan nanocapsules (CEO/CS-NC) were successfully prepared by ionic gel technology. The morphology of CEO/CS-NC was observed by SEM after synthesis. The results showed that the nanocapsules were spherical and relatively uniform in size. The nanocapsules agglomerated to some extent and even formed large clumps. Functional groups of chitosan, essential oil of clove (CEO), and CEO/CS-NC were characterized using FT-IR at 4 cm resolution. The results showed that CEO was successfully embedded in the nanocapsules through the cross-linking of CS and tripolyphosphate.

Fig.2 SEM images (a, b) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image (c, d, e) of CEO/CS-NCs. (Xu, et al., 2023)

Applications

• Chitin is a renewable resource that is widely available and environmentally friendly. The techniques for polysaccharide analysis have an important role in the development of chitin biomaterials.
• The techniques for polysaccharide analysis are used to study the synthesis and metabolism of chitin and chitosan.
• The techniques for polysaccharide analysis also play a role in pharmaceuticals, enabling researchers to develop drugs based on chitin and chitosan.

Advantages

• Our detection equipment has a good performance. Our experimental protocols solve simple or complex analytical tasks.
• We have extensive experience in SEM detection. Our state-of-the-art equipment allows for intuitive imaging with a wide range of magnifications and high resolution.
• Our polysaccharide analysis has low sample requirements and high detection sensitivity, covering polysaccharide fractions of different molecular weight ranges.

CD BioGlyco has been dedicated to Carbohydrate Metabolism Analysis services for many years. You can choose our polysaccharide analysis service with confidence. In addition to chitin/chitosan, we also provide Glucan and Galactan Analysis Services. For all services and technical inquiries, you can feel free to contact us to get them. We look forward to working with you.