Division of Bioengineering, College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Republic of Korea; Center for Surface Technology and Application, Korea Aerospace University, Republic of Korea; National Repository for Microalgae and Cyanobacteria - Freshwater (DBT, Govt. of India), Department of Microbiology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, India.
Center for Surface Technology and Application, Korea Aerospace University, Republic of Korea.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2018 Oct 15;118(Pt B):1511-1517. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.06.168. Epub 2018 Jun 30.
Low molecular weight (LMW) chitosan has been a great attention in bio-molecular chemistry, medicine, and drug delivery system in particular. Depolymerization of high molecular weight (HMW) chitosan to LMW chitosan was achieved by solution plasma process (SPP) without affecting its chemical structures. Chitosan in solution was depolymerized by discharging plasma at 800 V with 35 kHz for various times (15-120 min). Gel permeation chromatography analysis revealed that molecular weight of chitosan decreased from 3.0 × 10 Da to 7.8 × 10 Da in 30 min plasma treatment, and further to 4.6 × 10 Da in 90 min. Dynamic light scattering and zeta potential studies confirmed formation of chitosan nano-aggregates. Interestingly, the LMW chitosan samples showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans with minimal inhibitory concentration of 80-1200 μg·mL. They also exhibited an excellent antioxidant activity (58-75%) and swelling ratio of 0.2-2.0 mg·mg. LMW chitosan was likely to have potential for sustainable usage as carrier molecules, biomaterials, and biomedical applications.
低分子量（LMW）壳聚糖在生物分子化学、医学和药物输送系统方面受到了广泛关注。通过溶液等离子体处理（SPP）可以将高分子量（HMW）壳聚糖解聚为 LMW 壳聚糖，而不影响其化学结构。在溶液中的壳聚糖通过在 800V 和 35kHz 下放电等离子体处理不同时间（15-120min）进行解聚。凝胶渗透色谱分析表明，壳聚糖的分子量在 30min 的等离子体处理后从 3.0×105Da 降低到 7.8×105Da，在 90min 时进一步降低到 4.6×105Da。动态光散射和zeta 电位研究证实了壳聚糖纳米聚集体的形成。有趣的是，LMW 壳聚糖样品对大肠杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌和白色念珠菌表现出抗菌活性，最小抑菌浓度为 80-1200μg·mL。它们还表现出出色的抗氧化活性（58-75%）和溶胀比为 0.2-2.0mg·mg。LMW 壳聚糖有望作为载体分子、生物材料和生物医学应用的可持续使用材料。
