title: Bioactive chitin derivatives. Activation of mouse-peritoneal macrophages by O-(carboxymethyl)chitins.
abstract: The effect of O-(carboxymethyl)chitins (CM-chitins) on the activation of mouse-peritoneal macrophages in vivo and their mitogenic activity on mouse spleen-cells were investigated. The induction of cytotoxic macrophages is enhanced by an increase of negative charge at O-6 and decreased by further modification at O-3 of the GlcNAc residue. CM-Chitins had a minor effect on mitogenic activity that was independent of the site of modification; partially N-deacetylated chitins had little activity. Although there was remarkable enhancement of accessibility to lysozyme upon modification at O-6 of the GlcNAc residue, the accessibility was decreased by further substitution at O-3.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D009904:Optical Rotation; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D002686:Chitin; C044872:O-(carboxymethyl)chitin