title: Evaluation antibacterial activity of quaternary-based chitin/chitosan derivatives in vitro.
abstract: Total of 3 water-soluble quaternary-based chitin/chitosan derivatives, which have an identical molecular weight and anion, were synthesized and characterized. Their antibacterial activities against Salmonella cholerae-suis and Bacillus subtilis were evaluated in vitro. The polysaccharides exhibited the antibacterial efficiency. Their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values vary from 0.02 to 20.48 mg/mL, and their minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values vary from 0.08 to 40.96 mg/mL against S. cholerae-suis and B. subtilis, respectively. Futhermore, the extent of Bacillus subtilis cells damage was examined via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to show how N,N,N-trimethylchitosan (TMC) gradually destroyed and killed B. subtilis cells when they were treated with TMC. One of those quaternary polymers, O-([2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium])propyl chitin (OHT-chitin), which can be directly and easily synthesized from chitin in bulk quantities, also was demonstrated its antibacterial activity. These water soluble quaternary-based chitin/chitosan derivatives that have antibacterial effect should be potentially used as antimicrobial agents in many fields.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The main practical application behind the investigation and evaluation antibacterial activity of 3 water-soluble quaternary-based chitin/chitosan derivatives could be potentially used as antimicrobial agents in many fields. These polysaccharides represent a renewable source of natural biodegradable polymers and meet with the emergence of more and more food safe problems.
authors.affiliation: College of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Ronghua
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jianying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiangyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000187:drug effects; D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology; D048271:Chitosan / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005520:Food Preservatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008970:Molecular Weight; D012475:Salmonella / Q000187:drug effects; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005520:Food Preservatives; C572320:N-((2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl)chitosan chloride; C118071:N-trimethyl chitosan chloride; C581905:O-((2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium))propylchitin; D002686:Chitin; D048271:Chitosan