ABSTRACT
Chitosan has a variety of biological activities. In dentistry and related areas, the anti-inammatory reaction, the acceleration of the wound-healing processes in both the soft and the hard tissues, and the antibacterial effect (the bacteriostatic and/or the bactericidal actions, the differences between the Gram-positive and the Gram-negative bacteria) are mainly investigated to determine its relationship to clinical applications (Asaoka 1996, Koide 1998). This chapter focuses on the biomedical application of the chitosan oligosaccharide and the chitosan monomer (d-glucosamine). An understanding of the texture and the conformation of these biomaterials are indispensable for promoting the theoretical and practical applications. Furthermore, chitosan is also applied as the scaffold and as a carrier for molecular therapies, such as the drug and the gene delivery systems. These biomedical applications are completed through interdisciplinary collaborations.
