Strategies for Low Molecular Weight Production, Bioactivity, and High-Value Applications: Study of Next-Gen Chitosan

Abstract

Composite materials, including fibers, nanostructured materials, nanocomposites, and biological and biomedical materials are commonly used Chitosan. Β-(1-4)-D-glucosamine and acetyl-β-(1-4)-D-glucosamine are utilized in the synthesis of Chitosan, a linear polyamine copolymer. This biomaterial exhibits excellent properties and diverse bioactivities, including antioxidant and antibacterial effects. Chitosan exhibits non-toxicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Its primary amino groups offer high reactivity, enabling chemical modifications for a wide range of applications. The molecular weight of chitosan plays a role in determining its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Particularly, low-molecular-weight Chitosan(LMWC) has demonstrated interesting biological activities. LMWC finds utilities such as plant defense, feed additives, tissue engineering material, growth stimulators, wound healing, drug delivery, and antimicrobial agents. Various methods, such as physical, chemical, and biological approaches, are available for LMWC preparation in this review study. Moreover, this study extensively discusses the diverse properties of low molecular weight Chitosan. The study also highlights the significant applications of LMWC in agriculture, medical fields, food technology, aquaculture, and water treatment.

Keywords: Chitosan, Polyamine copolymer, Biomaterial, Antibacterial effects, Low-molecular-weight Chitosan (LMWC), biodegradability