Peripheral enzymatic deacetylation of chitin and reprecipitated chitin particles

Properties of a novel carboxymethyl chitosan derived from silkworm pupa

In this study, a carboxymethyl chitosan derived from silkworm pupa (SP-carboxymethyl chitosan) was prepared. The physical characteristics of the SP chitin, chitosan, and carboxymethyl chitosan were analyzed. The scanning electron microscopy results showed that the surfaces of the samples from SP were more uneven, with more surface fractures compared with those of the reference substance (RS). Thermal analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that the main molecular chain structures of SP samples and RSs had no substantial differences. However, the crystallinity and thermal decomposition temperature of the SP samples were lower compared with those of the RSs. All of these results provide a theoretical basis for the development of applications for the SP-carboxymethyl chitosan.

Production of chitin deacetylase by Aspergillus flavus in submerged conditions

Chitosan is a biopolymer obtained by deacetylation of chitin and has been proven to have various applications in industry and biomedicine. Deacetylation of chitin using the enzyme chitin deacetylase (CDA) is favorable in comparison to the hazardous chemical method involving strong alkali and high temperature. A fungal strain producing CDA was isolated from environmental samples collected from coastal regions of South Kerala, India. It was identified as Aspergillus flavus by morphological characteristics and ITS DNA analysis. Nutritional requirement for maximum production of CDA under submerged condition was optimized using statistical methods including Plackett-Burman and response surface methodology central composite design. A 5.98-fold enhancement in CDA production was attained in shake flasks when the fermentation process parameters were used at their optimum levels. The highest CDA activity was 57.69 ± 1.68 U under optimized bioprocess conditions that included 30 g L(-1) glucose, 40 g L(-1) yeast extract, 15 g L(-1) peptone, and 7 g L(-1) MgCl2 at initial media pH of 7 and incubation temperature of 32°C after 48 hr of incubation, while the unoptimized basal medium yielded 9.64 ± 2.04 U.

The influence of chitin structure on its enzymatic deacetylation

The possibility of producing chitosan by enzymatic deacetylation of chitin has been the subject of numerous investigations over the last twenty years, but to date no satisfactory method has been developed. In this paper the influence of chitin chain conformation and chitin particle crystallinity on the enzymatic deacetylation of chitin is investigated to determine the relative importance of these two factors on the process. It is shown that the high crystallinity of chitin is the main obstacle to converting chitin to chitosan by enzymatic deacetylation.

Isolation and characterization of chitin and chitosan from marine origin

Nowadays, chitin and chitosan are produced from the shells of crabs and shrimps, and bone plate of squid in laboratory to industrial scale. Production of chitosan involved deproteinization, demineralization, and deacetylation. The characteristics of chitin and chitosan mainly depend on production processes and conditions. The characteristics of these biopolymers such as appearance of polymer, turbidity of polymer solution, degree of deacetylation, and molecular weight are of major importance on applications of these polymers. This chapter addresses the production processes and conditions to produce chitin, chitosan, and chito-oligosaccharide and methods for characterization of chitin, chitosan, and chito-oligosaccharide.

Chitosans for delivery of nucleic acids

Alternatives to efficient viral vectors in gene therapy are desired because of their poor safety profiles. Chitosan is a promising non-viral nucleotide delivery vector because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, low immunogenicity and ease of manufacturing. Since the transfection efficiency of chitosan polyplexes is relatively low compared to viral counterparts, there is an impetus to gain a better understanding of the structure-performance relationship. Recent progress in preparation and characterisation has enabled coupling analysis of chitosans structural parameters that has led to increased TE by tailoring of chitosan's structure. In this review, we summarize the recent advances that have lead to a more rational design of chitosan polyplexes. We present an integrated review of all major areas of chitosan-based transfection, including preparation, chitosan and polyplexes physicochemical characterisation, in vitro and in vivo assessment. In each, we present the obstacles to efficient transfection and the strategies adopted over time to surmount these impediments.

Bioconversion to chitosan: a two stage process employing chitin deacetylase from Penicillium oxalicum SAEM-51

Chitin deacetylase from Penicillium oxalicum SAEM-51 was evaluated for bioconversion of chitin to chitosan in a two stage chemical and enzymatic process. Variations in morphology, crystallinity and thermal properties following chemical treatment were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. Degree of deacetylation of the substrates was determined using FT-IR and elemental analysis. The pretreatment of substrate led to the decrease in crystallinity and formation of amorphous chitinous substrates to facilitate enzyme reaction. The treated chitin was further subjected to enzymatic deacetylation employing chitin deacetylase from P. oxalicum SAEM-51 to produce chitosan with considerably higher degree of deacetylation. Maximum deacetylation (79.52%) was achieved using superfine chitin, owing to its porous structure and low crystallinity. Further, derivation of reaction variables, i.e. substrate amount and enzyme dose through full-factorial central composite design led to enhanced degree of deacetylation with formation of 90% deacetylated chitosan.

Activity of chitin deacetylase from Colletotrichum gloeosporioides on chitinous substrates

Production of chitin deacetylases from the phytopathogenic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was successfully achieved by submerged fermentation. The highest specific activity of 0.018 U mg(-1) of protein was obtained after 96 h of cultivation at pH 6 and 28°C. Two bands with molecular weights of 35 kDa and 170 kDa determined with SDS-PAGE displayed deacetylase activities as detected in the zymograms. Reacetylated commercial chitosan (52% acetylation degree) was used as substrate for the extracellular crude extract in order to estimate the kinetic parameters of acetate production as undirected deacetylation measurement. The highest acetate production of 12.8 μmol mL(-1) was obtained using 7.5 mg mL(-1) of substrate. The produced enzyme from C. gloeosporioides achieved up to 25% deacetylation of a chitin substrate (hydrolyzed biological chitin) having 80% degree of acetylation, MW of 102×10(3) g mol(-1) and a crystallinity index of ca. 60%.

Chitin deacetylases: properties and applications

Chitin deacetylases, occurring in marine bacteria, several fungi and a few insects, catalyze the deacetylation of chitin, a structural biopolymer found in countless forms of marine life, fungal cell and spore walls as well as insect cuticle and peritrophic matrices. The deacetylases recognize a sequence of four GlcNAc units in the substrate, one of which undergoes deacetylation: the resulting chitosan has a more regular deacetylation pattern than a chitosan treated with hot NaOH. Nevertheless plain chitin is a poor substrate, but glycolated, reprecipitated or depolymerized chitins are good ones. The marine Vibrio sp. colonize the chitin particles and decompose the chitin thanks to the concerted action of chitinases and deacetylases, otherwise they could not tolerate chitosan, a recognized antibacterial biopolymer. In fact, chitosan is used to prevent infections in fishes and crustaceans. Considering that chitin deacetylases play very important roles in the biological attack and defense systems, they may find applications for the biological control of fungal plant pathogens or insect pests in agriculture and for the biocontrol of opportunistic fungal human pathogens.

Antifungal activity and enhancement of plant growth by Bacillus cereus grown on shellfish chitin wastes

Bacillus cereus QQ308 produced antifungal hydrolytic enzymes, comprising chitinase, chitosanase and protease, when grown in a medium containing shrimp and crab shell powder (SCSP) produced from marine waste. The growth of the plant-pathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Pythium ultimum were considerably affected by the presence of the QQ308 culture supernatant. The supernatant inhibited spore germination and germ tube elongation of F. oxysporum, F. solani, and P. ultimum. The increase in the growth time of the fungal culture was associated with a gradual decrease in inhibition. Besides antifungal activity, QQ308 enhanced growth of Chinese cabbage. These characteristics were unique among known strains of B. cereus. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the antifungal and Chinese cabbage growth enhancing compounds produced by B. cereus.