As a result of our call in 2014 for submissions to a Special Issue, Advances in Marine Chitin and Chitosan in Marine Drugs, we are now pleased to tell you that this issue has been published. Twenty high class papers were included in this issue, which we now plan to publish as a book. In addition we now seek to publish a further Special Issue, Advances in Marine Chitin and Chitosan II, 2017, in Marine Drugs. As before, we plan to produce a strong, very exciting issue that will encompass breakthroughs in high value, scientific and industrial chitin and chitosan research. Despite significant advances in chitin and chitosan research since the 1970s, current overviews in recent publications involving chitin and chitosan research advances need reporting.
A natural long-chain polymer, chitin is the main component of the cell walls of fungi, the exoskeletons of arthropods (including crustaceans and insects), the radulas of mollusks, and the beaks and internal shells of cephalopods. However, marine crustacean shells are the primary sources of the chitin derivative chitosan. Chitin and chitosan are useful for various biological and biomedical applications, although they have been limited by poor solubility in the past. Current research focuses on increasing their solubility and bioactivity through molecular modifications. The resulting derivatives are receiving much attention for interesting properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxicity, that make them suitable for use in the biomedical field. Chitin and Chitosan Derivatives: Advances in Drug Discovery and Developments presents current research trends in the synthesis of chitin and chitosan derivatives, their biological activities, and their biomedical applications. Part I discusses basic information about the synthesis and characterization of a variety of derivatives, including the preparation of chitin nanofibers. Part II covers chitin and chitosan modifications as the basis for biological applications. It describes antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, anticoagulant, and antimicrobial activities. Part III addresses chemically modified and composite materials of chitin and chitosan derivatives for biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, nanomedicine, drug delivery, and wound dressing. A must-have reference for novices and experts in biotechnology, natural products, materials science, nutraceuticals, and biomedical engineering, this book presents a wide range of biological and biomedical applications of chitin and chitosan derivatives for drug discovery and development.
Functional advanced biopolymers have received far less attention than renewable biomass (cellulose, rubber, etc.) used for energy production. Among the most advanced biopolymers known is chitosan. The term chitosan refers to a family of polysaccharides obtained by partial de-N-acetylation from chitin, one of the most abundant renewable resources in the biosphere. Chitosan has been firmly established as having unique material properties as well as biological activities. Either in its native form or as a chemical derivative, chitosan is amenable to being processed—typically under mild conditions—into soft materials such as hydrogels, colloidal nanoparticles, or nanofibers. Given its multiple biological properties, including biodegradability, antimicrobial effects, gene transfectability, and metal adsorption—to name but a few—chitosan is regarded as a widely versatile building block in various sectors (e.g., agriculture, food, cosmetics, pharmacy) and for various applications (medical devices, metal adsorption, catalysis, etc.). This Special Issue presents an updated account addressing some of the major applications, including also chemical and enzymatic modifications of oligos and polymers. A better understanding of the properties that underpin the use of chitin and chitosan in different fields is key for boosting their more extensive industrial utilization, as well as to aid regulatory agencies in establishing specifications, guidelines, and standards for the different types of products and applications.
Fuels, Chemicals and Materials from the Oceans and Aquatic Sources provides a holistic view of fuels, chemicals and materials from renewable sources in the oceans and other aquatic media. It presents established and recent results regarding the use of water-based biomass, both plants and animals,for value-added applications beyond food. The book begins with an introductory chapter which provides an overview of ocean and aquatic sources for the production of chemicals and materials. Subsequent chapters focus on the use of various ocean bioresources and feedstocks, including microalgae, macroalgae, and waste from aquaculture and fishing industries, including fish oils, crustacean and mollusc shells. Fuels, Chemicals and Materials from the Oceans and Aquatic Sources serves as a valuable reference for academic and industrial professionals working on the production of chemicals, materials and fuels from renewable feedstocks. It will also prove useful for researchers in the fields of green and sustainable chemistry, marine sciences and biotechnology. Topics covered include: • Production and conversion of green macroalgae • Marine macroalgal biomass as an energy feedstock • Microalgae bioproduction • Bioproduction and utilization of chitin and chitosan • Applications of mollusc shells • Crude fish oil as a potential fuel
In 2019, we sent out a call for submissions to a Special Issue of Marine Drugs entitled “Marine Chitin 2019”, and we are pleased that this issue has now been published. Over 16 high-impact papers were included in this issue, which we now plan to publish as a book. In addition, we now seek to publish a further Special Issue of Marine Drugs, “Marine Chitin 2020–2021”. As before, we plan to produce an authoritative and exciting issue that will encompass breakthroughs in scientific and industrial chitin and chitosan research. Significant advances in chitin and chitosan research have been made since the 1970s, and current overviews in recent publications involving chitin and chitosan research advances are in need of an update.
Offers a comprehensive guide to the isolation, properties and applications of chitin and chitosan Chitin and Chitosan: Properties and Applications presents a comprehensive review of the isolation, properties and applications of chitin and chitosan. These promising biomaterials have the potential to be broadly applied and there is a growing market for these biopolymers in areas such as medical and pharmaceutical, packaging, agricultural, textile, cosmetics, nanoparticles and more. The authors – noted experts in the field – explore the isolation, characterization and the physical and chemical properties of chitin and chitosan. They also examine their properties such as hydrogels, immunomodulation and biotechnology, antimicrobial activity and chemical enzymatic modifications. The book offers an analysis of the myriad medical and pharmaceutical applications as well as a review of applications in other areas. In addition, the authors discuss regulations, markets and perspectives for the use of chitin and chitosan. This important book: Offers a thorough review of the isolation, properties and applications of chitin and chitosan. Contains information on the wide-ranging applications and growing market demand for chitin and chitosan Includes a discussion of current regulations and the outlook for the future Written for Researchers in academia and industry who are working in the fields of chitin and chitosan, Chitin and Chitosan: Properties and Applications offers a review of these promising biomaterials that have great potential due to their material properties and biological functionalities.
Chitin, poly (ß-(1?4)-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine), is a natural polysaccharide of major importance, first identified in 1884. It is the second most abundant natural polymer after cellulose and exists largely in the marine crustacean. Chitin occurs in nature as ordered crystalline microfibrils forming structural components in the exoskeleton of arthropods or in the cell walls of fungi and yeast. The most important derivative of chitin is chitosan, which is obtained by partial N-deacetylation of chitin in the solid state under alkaline conditions (concentrated NaOH) or by enzymatic hydrolysis in the presence of a chitin deacetylase. Because of the semicrystalline morphology of chitin, chitosans obtained by an alkaline reaction have a heterogeneous distribution of acetyl groups along the chains. Studies on chitin and chitosan have been intensified since 1990 because these polysaccharides show excellent biological properties such as biodegradation in the human body, and immunological, antibacterial, and wound-healing activity. In recent studies, especially, chitosan has been found to be a good candidate as a support material for gene delivery, cell culture, and tissue engineering. Therefore, chitin and chitosan are receiving greater attention as novel functional materials. Despite their interesting biological properties, utilization has been scarcely developed. This review book is a comprehensive introduction to the bioscience and biomedical applications of chitin and chitosan. This review book covers the synthesis and biological properties of chitin and chitosan derivatives and their applications in drug delivery, medical and biological fields. This review book also covers almost all the important findings in these fields and explored these results clearly. The main importance of this review book is to know the chemical and biological properties of chitin and chitosan. These broad ranges of topics that are systematically discussed in this review book will be helpful to carry out more innovative researches in chitin and chitosan in the near future. This review book contains seven chapters included with the various topics of current research interest. Chapter 1 is focusing various methods of preparation of water soluble derivatives of chitin and chitosan. Moreover, the potential applications of these derivatives in the various fields such as drug delivery, food, cosmetics, tissue engineering and environmental is also discussed. In Chapter 2 are reviews the various methods of synthesis, properties of the chemically modified chitosans and their applications of the chemically modified chitosans derivatives for controlled drug and non-viral gene delivery. The knowledge of chitosan scaffold preparation and their characterization and biological activities, which are reported in recent literatures, are discussed in Chapter 3. The Chapter 4, the developments of chitin and chitosan interfaces for the applications in biosensors, microarray, cell arrays, micro fluidic devices and bioimaging are focused. The recent research and development of chitin/chitosan based biomaterials for potential application in orthopedic or bone and cartilage tissue engineering is reviewed in the Chapter 5. The chapter 6 is focusing on the various types of chitosan derivatives and their use in various tissue engineering applications namely, skin, bone, cartilage, liver, nerve and blood vessel. In chapter 7 is focusing about the production and properties of chitin and chitosan obtained from crustacean and fungal sources and their applications in medical and biological sectors are discussed. This review book explains that the advantage of chitin and chitosan over the other polysaccharides. As described in this review, the chemical structure of chitin and chitosan allows specific modifications at their reactive sites, without changing the bulk properties. Specific groups can be introduced into their reactive sites to design polymers for selected applications. Since the biological properties of chitin and chitosan are valuable for medical applications, the developments in these filed can be considered as valuable extensions of the use of chitin and its derivatives. I expect that this review book will be helpful to the people, who are interesting in chitin and chitosan research. I warmly thank the authors for their efforts in producing such informed and enlightening exposition on these topics in chitin and chitosan. Finally, I acknowledge the staff of Research Signpost (India) for their patience and assistance.
