• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.71-81
• /
• 2000

High molecular weight water-insoluble chitosan alone has been previously shown to exhibit in vitro stimulatory effect on macrophages nitric oxide (NO) production. However, high molecular weight water-soluble chitosan (WSC) had no effect on NO production by itself. When WSC was used in combination with recombinant $interferon-{\gamma}\;(Rifn-{\gamma})$, there was a marked cooperative induction of NO synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. The optimal effect of WSC on NO synthesis was shown at 24 h after treatment with $rIFN-{\gamma}$. The increased production of NO from $rIFN-{\gamma}$ plus WSC-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages was decreased by the treatment with $N^G$ $monomethyl-_L-arginine$. The increase in NO synthesis was reflected, as an increased amounts of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) protein. Synergy between $rIFN-{\gamma}$ and WSC was mainly dependent on WSC-induced nuclear $factor-_KB$ activation. The present results indicate that WSC may provide various activities such as anti-microbial, anti-tumoral, and anti-viral. In addition, since NO has emerged as an important intracellular and intercellular regulatory molecule having functions as diverse as vasodilation, neural communication, cell growth regulation and host defense, it is tempting to hypothesize that this WSC is involved in the local control of the various fundamental processes such as cardiagra, cardiac infarction, impotence etc.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.178-183
• /
• 2002

A high molecular ar weight water-soluble chitosan (WSC) with an average molecular weight of 300 kD and a deacethylation level of over 90% was produced using a simple multi-step-membrane separation process. It is known that WSC prevents obesity induced by a high-fat diet. Consequently, this study investigated whether or not WSC improved the ovarian dysfunction caused by obesity in mice. The mice were fed a high density protein and lipid diet for weeks, followed by the administration of WSC at 480 mg/kg body weight per day for 4 days. Thereafter, the changes in body weight, ovulation rate, in vivo and in vitro fertilization and emboryonic development were measured . WSC markedly reduced the body weight of obese mice fed with a high-fat diet, but not in mice fed with a normal diet. WSC had siginificant effects on the ovulation rate, both the in vivo and in vitro fertilization rates and embryonic development. These results indicate an improvement in the ovarian and oviduct dysfunction caused by obesity, and suggest an adjustment in the internal secretions and metabolic functions.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.937-941
• /
• 2006

Chitosan has a wide range of applications in biomedical materials as well as in dietary supplements. Chitosan oligosaccharide with free-amine group (COFa) is an improvement over traditional chitosan that lacks the usual impurities and materials detrimental to the body. Based on a previous study of water soluble chitosan (WSC, chitosan lactate), we investigated the molecular weight (Mw) - dependent absorption phenomena of COFa in vitro and in vivo with various Mws. The absorption of CO Fa was significantly influenced by its molecular weight. As Mw increases, the absorption decreases. The absorption profiles for 5 K COFa (Mw=5 kDa) were observed to be more than 10 times higher than those of high molecular weight chitosan (100 K HWSC Mw=100 kDa) in both in vitro and in vivo transport experiments. Furthermore, the in vitro transport experiment suggested that transcellular transport of the COFa (Mw <10 kDa) through Caco-2 cell layer could occur with a negligible cytotoxic effect. The COFas showed a cytotoxic effect on Caco-2 cells that was dependent on dose and Mw. COFa could be transported transcellularly through the Caco-2 cell layer.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.660-665
• /
• 1999

Structure of water soluble chitosan (WSC) was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometer and thermal analyser. The viscosity average molecular weight of WSC ranged from $3.0{\times}10^{4}$ to $4.5{\times}10^{4}$. Using the WSC having viscosity average molecular weight of $3.0{\times}10^{4}$, the antimicrobacterial effects against microorganism and oral microorganism showed 81.7% and 80.6% for Staphyloccus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, respectively, while the anitmicrobacterial effect exhibited 100% and 73.8% against Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguis, respectively. Therefore it is concluded that WSC is more effective against oral microorganism that microorganism in terms of antimicrobacterial effects. WSC sample with the viscosity average molecular weight of $4.5{\times}10^{4}$ exhibited a half of the antimicrobacterial effect of the low MW sample, indicating that the WSC with low MW was better than that with high MW. Chitin and chitosan showed a drastic decrease of acidity from pH 7.0 to 4.9 after 8 minute incubation time and reached an equilibrium after that. WSC, however, restrained pH of the sample from lowering up to about 16 minutes of incubation and reached an equilibrium after that. WSC obviously showed a buffering effect against pH change.