ABSTRACT
Sulfated chitosans represent a very important family of such derivatives of chitosan, which can demonstrate a gamut of biological activities. The site-specific chemical modification of the amino and hydroxyl groups in chitin and chitosan, with sulfate, can generate products for pharmaceutical applications, because the structure of sulfated chitin and chitosan serves as the nearest structural analogs of the natural blood anticoagulant, heparin, and demonstrate the biomolecular mechanism of anticoagulant, antisclerotic, and antiviral activities. The sulfated derivatives also exhibit enzyme inhibitory, antioxidant, antitumor, and wound healing properties. These derivatives also have been found useful in drug delivery. Chitosan sulfate is structurally similar to the direct action anticoagulant heparin and possesses similar properties. The migration phase of wound repair involves the movement of epithelial cells and fibroblasts to the injured area to replace damaged and lost tissue. The antibacterial mechanism of chitosan has suggested that the trace metal cations selectively chelated by the chitosan could be necessary for the growth of microorganisms.
