Chitin, Chitosan DerivativesInduce the Production ofSecondary Metabolites andPlant Development throughIn Vitro and In Vivo Techniques

Chitin is an important component in shells of arthropods and fungi, and is widely used as an eliciting agent of cell defense reaction in plants (Shibuya and Minami 2001). It has been one of the best economic value products due to its versatile biological activities and chemical applications in medical (Yadav and Bhise 2004) and pharmaceutical (Kato et al. 2003) areas. Chitin and chitosan have shown peculiar properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, bioactivity, selective permeability, polieletrolic action, chelation, ion exchange properties, antitumor and antimicrobial activity (Yadav and Bhise 2004), absorption capacity (Franco et al. 2004), and biopolymer studies (Campos-Takaki and Galba 2005).