Antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anticancer activities of chitosan and its derivatives: Basic mechanisms

Document Type : Mini-Review

Authors

1 Department of Biotechnology, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK

2 Medical Laboratory Science Department, College of Science, Komar University of Science and Technology, Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

10.22034/mnba.2024.440881.1055

Abstract

Deacetylation of chitin extracted from the exoskeleton of crustaceans leads to the production of chitosan, one of the abundant biocompatible biopolymers. This biodegradable polymer has been employed significantly in pharmaceutical, nutritional, and cosmetic sections. In the case of antibacterial activity, chitosan can bind chitosan (positive charge) to the bacterial cell wall (negative charge) leading to damage to the cell wall and increased membrane permeability. The degree of chitin deacetylation and the molecular weight of chitosan influence antibacterial capacity. For antifungal activity, studies showed disintegration of fungal cell membranes followed by leakage of biological macromolecules dependent on weight fractions of chitosan. As the indirect antiviral mechanism, chitosan can stimulate the immune response by induction of interferon synthesis by macrophages. Chitosan and its derivatives can increase the anticancer effects of other anticancer agents by regulating the antioxidant defense mechanism, angiogenesis, apoptotic pathways, and cellular enzymatic functions. In this mini-review, antimicrobial and anticancer aspects of novel formulations in both micro and nanoscale of chitosan polymer with other therapeutic agents have been presented.

Graphical Abstract

Antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anticancer activities of chitosan and its derivatives: Basic mechanisms

Highlights

  • The degree of deacetylation and the molecular weight of chitosan can determine therapeutic activity.
  • N,O-acylated chitosan with linoleic acid by amphiphilic property caused strong interaction with mucin of the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Pure chitosan NPs and chitosan NPs encapsulating or loading other NPs and essential oils have been used to synergize antibacterial and antifungal strength.
  • As the main antiviral mechanism, amino-modified chitosan by stimulation of immune response increases the expression level of IFN-β and TNF-α.
  • Chitosan penetrates the tumor cell membranes and augment the anticancer effects of other anticancer agents by regulating apoptotic pathways, cellular enzymatic functions, and angiogenesis process.

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© 2024 by the MNBA. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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History

  • Receive Date: 31 January 2024
  • Revise Date: 23 March 2024
  • Accept Date: 24 March 2024

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