Synthesis, Characterization, and Biomedical Applications of Chitosan and Its Derivatives

Chitin is the second most abundant natural polymer after cellulose, but its application in industry is limited because of its insolubility; hence, chitosan was produced from deacetylation of chitin (Roberts 1982) (Figure 2.1). Chitosan is a polysaccharide composed of two common sugars present in mammalian tissues, the deacetylated d-glucosamine linked to the N-acetyl d-glucosamine unit using β-1-4 glucosidic bonds (Ulansky and Rosiak 1992). The distribution of these subunits depends on the chitosan preparation method (Dodane and Vilivalam 1998) (Figure 2.2).