title: Polyphenol-chitosan conjugates: Synthesis, characterization, and applications.
abstract: Chitosan, the only positively charged polysaccharide in the world, is very attractive for food, medicinal and pharmaceutical applications because of its promising properties, including non-toxicity, superb biodegradability, high biocompatibility, abundant availability and low cost. In order to overcome the poor water solubility and widen the applications of chitosan, various polyphenol-chitosan conjugates have been synthesized in recent years. The present review focuses on the chitosan-based conjugates formed using different polyphenols, including gallic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, salicylic acid, catechin, and EGGE, etc. Three major synthesis techniques, namely, activated ester-mediated modification, enzyme-mediated strategy, and free radical induced grafting approach are introduced in detail. In addition, the new physicochemical and biological properties of polyphenol-chitosan conjugates are introduced, including water solubility, thermo stability, in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity, antimicrobial and anticancer activity. Furthermore, the novel applications of each conjugate are discussed in detail. Lastly, the challenges and prospective areas of study related to polyphenol-chitosan are summarized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
authors.forename: Qiaobin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA. Electronic address: yangchao.luo@uconn.edu.
authors.forename: Yangchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060326:Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic / Q000379:methods*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D005707:Gallic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D059808:Polyphenols; D005707:Gallic Acid; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: Antioxidant activity; Chitosan; Conjugate; Drug delivery; Film; Polyphenols