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Chitosan, Chitosan Derivatives, Polysaccharides and Their Applications—2nd Edition

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecular Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 3185

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Ewa Wiącek

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Guest Editor

Department of Interfacial Phenomena, Institute of Chemical Science, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Lublin, Poland
Interests: emulsion; suspension; biopolymers; polysaccharides; dynamic light scattering; zeta potential; Langmuir monolayer
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Molecules is dedicated to recent advances in the research of chitin, chitosan, polysaccharides (e.g., starch), and their derivatives and focuses on highlighting recent interesting investigations conducted in leading laboratories around the world. Our journal is an attractive open-access publishing platform for molecular chemistry research data. The field of polysaccharide systems is still a developing scientific area but a very promising one for many practical applications. This Special Issue will be focused on all aspects of production, modification, enzymology, and the application of chitin, chitosan, polysaccharides, and their many derivatives, as well as polysaccharide-based systems.

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Wiącek
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

chitin
chitosan
polysaccharide
polysaccharide-based systems

Related Special Issue

Chitosan, Chitosan Derivatives and Their Applications in Molecules (21 articles)

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4299 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enzymatic Assembly of Chitosan-Based Network Polysaccharides and Their Encapsulation and Release of Fluorescent Dye

by Masayasu Totani, Aina Nakamichi and Jun-ichi Kadokawa

Molecules 2024, 29(8), 1804; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29081804 - 16 Apr 2024

Viewed by 301

Abstract

We prepared network polysaccharide nanoscopic hydrogels by crosslinking water-soluble chitosan (WSCS) with a carboxylate-terminated maltooligosaccharide crosslinker via condensation. In this study, the enzymatic elongation of amylose chains on chitosan-based network polysaccharides by glucan phosphorylase (GP) catalysis was performed to obtain assembly materials. Maltoheptaose (Glc₇) primers for GP-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization were first introduced into WSCS by reductive amination. Crosslinking of the product with the above-mentioned crosslinker by condensation was then performed to produce Glc₇-modified network polysaccharides. The GP-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization of the α-d-glucose 1-phosphate monomer from the Glc₇ primers on the network polysaccharides was conducted, where the elongated amylose chains formed double helices. Enzymatic disintegration of the resulting network polysaccharide assembly successfully occurred by α-amylase-catalyzed hydrolysis of the double helical amyloses. The encapsulation and release of a fluorescent dye, Rhodamine B, using the CS-based network polysaccharides were also achieved by means of the above two enzymatic approaches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan, Chitosan Derivatives, Polysaccharides and Their Applications—2nd Edition)

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12 pages, 2070 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Isolation, Purification, Fractionation, and Hepatoprotective Activity of Polygonatum Polysaccharides

by Yutong Wang, Hongmei Niu, Yue Ma and Guangxin Yuan

Molecules 2024, 29(5), 1038; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29051038 - 28 Feb 2024

Viewed by 613

Abstract

In this study, three homogeneous fractions, PSP-N-b-1, PSP-N-b-2, and PSP-N-c-1, were obtained from an aqueous extract of Polygonatum using DEAE cellulose column chromatography, CL-6B agarose gel chromatography, and Sephadex G100 chromatography. Their monosaccharide compositions and molecular weights were analyzed. The results revealed that PSP-N-b-1, PSP-N-b-2, and PSP-N-c-1 are primarily composed of six monosaccharides: Man (mannose), GlcA (glucuronic acid), Rha (rhamnose), GalA (galacturonic acid), Glc (glucose), and Ara (arabinose), with molecular weights of 6.3 KDa, 5.78 KDa, and 3.45 KDa, respectively. Furthermore, we observed that Polygonatum polysaccharides exhibited protective effects against CCL₄-induced liver damage in HepG2 cells in vitro, operating through both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Our research findings suggest that Polygonatum polysaccharides may emerge as a promising option in the development of hepatoprotective drugs or functional foods with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan, Chitosan Derivatives, Polysaccharides and Their Applications—2nd Edition)

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14 pages, 1692 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Acetylation on the Nanofibril Formation of Chitosan from All-Atom De Novo Self-Assembly Simulations

by Aarion Romany, Gregory F. Payne and Jana Shen

Molecules 2024, 29(3), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29030561 - 23 Jan 2024

Viewed by 644

Abstract

Chitosan-based materials have broad applications, from biotechnology to pharmaceutics. Recent experiments showed that the degree and pattern of acetylation along the chitosan chain modulate its biological and physicochemical properties; however, the molecular mechanism remains unknown. Here, we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first de novo all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate chitosan’s self-assembly process at different degrees and patterns of acetylation. Simulations revealed that 10 mer chitosan chains with 50% acetylation in either block or alternating patterns associate to form ordered nanofibrils comprised of mainly antiparallel chains in agreement with the fiber diffraction data of deacetylated chitosan. Surprisingly, regardless of the acetylation pattern, the same intermolecular hydrogen bonds mediate fibril sheet formation while water-mediated interactions stabilize sheet–sheet stacking. Moreover, acetylated units are involved in forming strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds (NH–O6 and O6H–O7), which offers an explanation for the experimental observation that increased acetylation lowers chitosan’s solubility. Taken together, the present study provides atomic-level understanding the role of acetylation plays in modulating chitosan’s physiochemical properties, contributing to the rational design of chitosan-based materials with the ability to tune by its degree and pattern of acetylation. Additionally, we disseminate the improved molecular mechanics parameters that can be applied in MD studies to further understand chitosan-based materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan, Chitosan Derivatives, Polysaccharides and Their Applications—2nd Edition)

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Graphical abstract

20 pages, 4865 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Encapsulated Rose Bengal Enhances the Photodynamic Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

by Mir Muhammad Nasir Uddin, Alina Bekmukhametova, Anu Antony, Shital K. Barman, Jessica Houang, Ming J. Wu, James M. Hook, Laurel George, Richard Wuhrer, Damia Mawad, Daniel Ta, Herleen Ruprai and Antonio Lauto

Molecules 2024, 29(2), 546; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29020546 - 22 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1070

Abstract

Among breast cancer subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer stands out as the most aggressive, with patients facing a 40% mortality rate within the initial five years. The limited treatment options and unfavourable prognosis for triple-negative patients necessitate the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an alternative treatment that can effectively target triple-negative neoplastic cells such as MDA-MB-231. In this in vitro study, we conducted a comparative analysis of the PDT killing rate of unbound Rose Bengal (RB) in solution versus RB-encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles to determine the most effective approach for inducing cytotoxicity at low laser powers (90 mW, 50 mW, 25 mW and 10 mW) and RB concentrations (50 µg/mL, 25 µg/mL, 10 µg/mL and 5 µg/mL). Intracellular singlet oxygen production and cell uptake were also determined for both treatment modalities. Dark toxicity was also assessed for normal breast cells. Despite the low laser power and concentration of nanoparticles (10 mW and 5 µg/mL), MDA-MB-231 cells experienced a substantial reduction in viability (8 ± 1%) compared to those treated with RB solution (38 ± 10%). RB nanoparticles demonstrated higher singlet oxygen production and greater uptake by cancer cells than RB solutions. Moreover, RB nanoparticles display strong cytocompatibility with normal breast cells (MCF-10A). The low activation threshold may be a crucial advantage for specifically targeting malignant cells in deep tissues. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan, Chitosan Derivatives, Polysaccharides and Their Applications—2nd Edition)

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