Low molecular weight and oligomeric chitosans and their bioactivities.
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.
Yin
Heng
H
Liaoning Provincial Key laboratory of Carbohydrates, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, Liaoning 116023, China.
Du
Yuguang
Y
Zhang
Junzeng
J
D000818:Animals; D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006801:Humans; D009844:Oligosaccharides
D009844:Oligosaccharides; C493484:oligochitosan; D002686:Chitin; D048271:Chitosan