• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 1999

The advantages of the organism Streptomycs griseus HUT 6037 is that the chitinase and chitosanase using chitinaceouse substrate are capable of hydrolyzing both amorphous and crystalline chitin and chitosan. We attempted to investigate the optimization of induction protocol for high-level production and secretion of chitosanase and the influence of chitin and partially deacetylated chitosan sources (75∼99% deacetylation). The maximum specific activity or chitinase has been found at 5 days cultivation with the 48 hours induction time using colloidal chitin as a carbon source. To investigate characteristic of chitosan activity according to substrate, we used chitosan with various degree of deacetylation as a carbon source and found that this strain accumulates chitosanase in the culture medium using chitosanaceous substrates rather than chitinaceous substrates. The highest chitosanase activity was also presented on 4 days with 99% deacetylated chitosan. The partially 53% deacetylated chitosan can secrete both chitinase and chitosanase which was defined as a soluble chitosan. The specific activities of chitinase and chitosanase were 0.89 at 3 days and 1.33 U/mg protein at 5 days, respectively. It indicate that chitosanase obtained from S. griseus HUT 6037 can hydrolyze GlcNAc-GlcN and GlcN-GlcN linkages by exo-splitting manner. This activity increased with increasing degree of deacetylation of chitosan. It is the first attempted to investigate the effects of chitosanase on various degrees of deacetylations of chitosan by S. griseus HUT 6037. The highest specific activity of chitosanase was obtained with 99% deacetylated chitosan.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2001

The advantage of using Streptomyces griseus HUT 6037 in the production of chitinase or chitosanase is that the organism is capable of hydrolyzing amorphous or crystalline chitin and chitosan according to the type of the substrate used. We investigated the effects of the enzyme induction time and chitin sources, CM-chitosan and deacetylated chitosan (degree of deacetylation 75-99%), on production of chitosanase. We found that this strain accumulated chitosanase when cells were grown in the culture medium containing chitosanaceous substrates instead of chitinaceous substrates. The highest chitosanase activity was obtained at 4 dyas of cultivation with 99% deacetylated chitosan. The specific activities of chitinase and chitosanase were 0.91 and 1.33 U/mg protein at 3 and 5 days, respectively. From the study of the enzymatic digestibility of various degrees of deacetylated chitosan, it was found that (GlcN)$_3$, (GlcN)$_4$and (GlcN)(sub)5 were produced during the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction. The results of this study suggested that the sugar composition of (GlcN)$_3$was homogeneous and those of (GlcN)$_4$and (GlcN)(sub)5 were heterogeneous.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1984-1989
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• 2006

Deacetylated chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) had effective antiprotozoal activity against Trichomonas vaginalis (Minimal Inhibitory Concentration, MIC 0.25%), whereas 80% acetylated cas showed no antiprotozoal activity (MIC > 1 %). an the other hand, 80% acetylated cas showed growth stimulatory activity against the protozoa. When T. vaginalis was treated with 98% deacetylated COS at 0.25% concentration, the viability of the protozoa was rapidly decreased within 15 min, and the protozoa completely died within 40 min. Ultrastructural changes of trichomonads treated with COS included a loss of defined nuclear membrane and endoplasmic reticulum membranes, an increase in the number of free ribosome, vacuolation, and ultimately lysis of the cell membrane. These results indicate that deacetylated COS can be used as an antitrichomonal agent, although its lethal mechanism is not known.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.317-323
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• 2004

This study was performed to investigate the antimicrobial effects of hetero-chitosans and their oligosaccharides against three Gram-negative bacteria and five Gram-positive bacteria. Nine classes of hetero-chitosan oligosaccharides consisted of partially deacetylated chitosans; 90％, 75％, and 50％ deacetylated chitosans. Based on molecular weight, they were prepared using an ultrafiltration membrane reactor system. Seventy-five percent deacetylated chitosan showed the highest antimicrobial acitivity as compared with the 90％ and 50％ deacetylated chitosan, and the activity was dependent on their molecular weights. It was apparent that the growth of Gram-negative bacteria is less inhibited in the presence of the heterochitosans and their oligosaccharides than Gram-positive bacteria. These results revealed that the antimicrobial effects of hetero-chitosans and their oligosaccharides depend on the degree of deacetylation, and their molecular weights.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.807-818
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• 2004

The antibacterial activities of several types of chitosan were measured against Staphylococcus aureus and evaluated for their application to antibacterial textile finishing. The ％ reduction of bacteria of the chitosans prepared in our laboratory were between 72 and 87%. The two water-soluble chitosans with molecular weights 1,000 and 3,000 did not show antibacterial activities. The deacetylation of chitosan was appeared to increase antibacterial activity. The ％ reduction in bacterial density of the 86％-deacetylated chitosan solution was 56% where that of the 76％-deacetylated chitosan solution was only 17％ at 0.1% chitosan concentration. Molecular weights of the chitosans seemed not to affect antibacterial activities of chitosans. The antibacterial activity of the acid-soluble, 86%-deacetylated chitosan with 4 cps showed 98% of the ％ reduction at the level of 0.2％ chitosan. The ％ reduction of bacteria of this chitosan was higher at the higher concentration of acetic acid in the chitosan-bacterial mixture. The antibacterial activity was increased with the pH change over the range of 4.0 to 6.5. The 100% of the ％ reduction of bacteria was achieved within 4 hour incubation of the chitosan-bacterial mixture. According to the data obtained from the above experiments, the four chitosans among the six prepared in our laboratory were proved to be valuable for antibacterial textile finishing.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2004

This study was performed to investigate the antimicrobial effects of hetero-chitosans and their oligosaccharides on the halophilic bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Nine classes of hetero-chitosan oligosaccharides were prepared based on their molecular weights, using an ultrafiltration membrane reactor system with chitosanase and celluase, from partially different deacetylated chitosans, 90%, 75%, and 50% deacetylated chitosan, respectively. Thirty-two strains of V. parahaemolyticus were isolated from various marine organisms such as shellfish, shrimps, octopus, and seabirds. Seventy-five percent deacetylated chitosan showed the highest antimicrobial acitivity. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 0.5 mg/ml on 14 strains of V. parahaemolyticus, and MIC of the rest strains (18 strains) was 1.0 mg/ml. In addition, MIC of most hetero-chitosan oligosaccharides was 8.0 mg/ml. The results revealed that the antimicrobial effects of hetero-chitosans and their oligosaccharides against V. parahaemolyticus depend on the degree of deacetylation, their molecular weights, and strains tested.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.763-769
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• 1995

As a mean to recover photosynthetic bacterial(PSB) cells and its practical uses in food industrial wastewater treatment, various biodegradable polyelectrolytes were first investigated for flocculation of suspended colloids in the PSB treatment process of soybean curd wastewater. Anionic polyelectrolytes such as sodium alginate and carrageenan were not effective but a cationic polyelectrolyte chitosan isolated from Portunus trituberclatus showed very effective flocculation activity. The concentration of chitosan, pH and temperature of wastewater for maximal flocculation were 40 mg/l, pH 7 and room temperature, respectively. Test using deacetylated chitosan to various degree showed higher flocculating activities in samples deacetylated over 75% and time for maximum flocculation was 40 min by stirring slowly under the above optimal conditions. Chitosan was not only effective to flocculate cells but also removed COD and MLSS of the wastewater. COD of 42% and MLSS of 87% were removed by addition of chitosan to the soybean curd wastewater treated with PSB.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.122-127
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• 1997

Chitin and chitosan have been almost neglected until 1960's although they second largest biomass on earth. Chitosan is a partially deacetylated chitin and belongs to the class of cationic biopolymers. We investigated the antimicrobial activity of chitosan as natural preservatives in cosmetic products. Antimicrobial activity of chitosan against some microorganisms was investigated. The results indicated that chitosan had an effectiveness against some bacteria. We found that chitosan had minimum inhibitory concentataions as low as 100 ppm to S. aureus ATCC 6538, E. coli ATCC 1634 and P. aeruginosa KCTC 2004. But there was not effects to Asp. Niger ATCC 1374 at 1,000 ppm. Also, formuias preserved with chitosan have been subjected to preservative efficacy tests to some microorganisms. Formla preserved with 0.5% chitosan had an effective antimicrobial activity against the Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacteria but not fungi. It is possible to dertermine the formulas with chitosan, which would be effective to reduce the artificial preservatives.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Fisheries Technology Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.241-242
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• 2001

Chitosan, a deacetylated derivative of chitin, is one of the abundant resources, and its biological properties such as antibactierial activity, hypocholesterolemic activity, and hypertensive action are remarked. However, increasing attention has recently been yen to converting chitosan to its oligosaccharides because they possess various functional properties like antitumor activity, immune-enhancing effects, enhancing protective effects against infection with some pathogens in mice, antifungal activity, and antimicrobial activity (Jeon et al., 2001). (omitted)

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.815-822
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• 2016

The cationic biopolymer chitosan has several applications in medicine. Chitosan is the deacetylated derivative of chitin, the second most abundant naturally occurring polymer. Recent studies have investigated the relationship between chitosan and antibacterial activity. However, the molecular interactions and mechanisms have not been detailed. This study used molecular dynamics simulations to study interactions between chitosan and anionic bacterial membranes (POPE-POPG) and electrically neutral non-bacterial membranes (POPC). We calculated the free energy using umbrella sampling to compare the interactions between membranes and chitosan in different protonation states. Fully protonated chitosan interacted most strongly with the bacterial membranes, but weakly with non-bacterial membranes. These results suggest that electrostatic interactions are the main mechanism of the antibacterial activity of chitosan, and they provide insights into the design of novel antibacterial and antimicrobial agents.