Low Molecular Weight and Oligomeric Chitosans and Their Bioactivities

Title: Low Molecular Weight and Oligomeric Chitosans and Their Bioactivities

Volume: 9 Issue: 16

Author(s): Heng Yin, Yuguang Du and Junzeng Zhang

Affiliation:

Keywords: Low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC), chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), preparation, analytical method, bioactivity

Abstract: Chitosan is one of the most abundant marine-based biopolymers. Low molecular weight and oligomeric chitosans are water-soluble hydrolysates of chitosan. They have been shown to have a wide range of biological activities and industrial applications. In particular, low molecular weight and oligomeric chitosans have been reported to have the health benefits such as immunity regulation, anti-tumor, liver protection, blood lipids lowering, anti-diabetic, antioxidant and anti-obesity. In this paper, the preparation and analytical methods, and bioactivities of these low molecular weight and oligomeric chitosans were reviewed, with the latest progresses introduced and discussed.

Cite this article as:

Yin Heng, Du Yuguang and Zhang Junzeng, Low Molecular Weight and Oligomeric Chitosans and Their Bioactivities, Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 2009; 9(16) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156802609789909795