title: N-acetylation in chitosan and the rate of its enzymic hydrolysis.
abstract: Partially N-acetylated derivatives (degree of substitution (d.s.) 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 for N-acetyl) of chitosan were prepared from prawn shell chitosan, and their susceptibility towards a lysozyme from hen egg-white, three microbial chitinases and a chitinase from potato skins was examined. The partially N-acetylated derivatives (d.s. 0.4-0.8 for N-acetyl) were 1.5-4.0 times more digestible than N-acetylchitosan (d.s. 1.0 for N-acetyl), and their enzymic hydrolysis rate is controlled by the d.s. for N-acetyl group. These data suggest that chitosan is usable as a digestible material in the biomedical and biotechnological fields.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Tottori University, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuchida
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nagao
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000818:Animals; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000032:analysis; D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D002688:Chitinases; D048271:Chitosan; D004529:Egg White; D006868:Hydrolysis; D009113:Muramidase; D011198:Solanum tuberosum; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D002614:Chelating Agents; D002686:Chitin; C012693:N-acetylchitosan; D048271:Chitosan; D002688:Chitinases; D009113:Muramidase