Protein trace present in chitin/chitosan product has been determined by our proposed method in which protein trace included in chitin/chitosan was extracted by refraction in 10% NaOH solution at 100oC for 5 hours. Chitin/Chitosan precipitate was discarded. protein trace in the solution was restored by neutralizing with HCl 10N to get the yellow powder. This powder was then analyzed for total nitrogen content by Kjeldahl method. The control method was conducted at the same procedure excepted from the presence of 10% NaOH. The results of different chitin/chitosan samples obtained from these two methods showed that amount of protein trace obtained from above proposed method was somewhat higher than that of the control one. Besides, the purified chitosan sample gave the lower protein trace content than that of the technical chitosan sample as well as chitin one. Protein trace bound between macromolecules of chitin/chitosan was separated in the proposed method by boiling water under alkaline condition whereas it was not completely separated in the control method because sodium hydroxide was absent.
Chitin ; Chitosan ; Proteins

Chitin is a natural product while chitosan is synthetic product from chitin. A study on the activity of chitin and chitosan in dogs has shown that the use of intradermal chitosan at dose of 200 mg/kg killed all experimental dogs because of pulmonary hemorrhage while this dose of chitin did not kill any dogs. Until now, it was limited to use chitin and chitosan in human as a food complementary, anti obesity and scar healing.
chotosan ; chitin ; toxicity

Yeast cell wall plays an important role in the establishment and maintenance of cell morphology upon the cell wall stress. The cell wall of yeast consists of β-glucans, mannoproteins and chitin. The composition and structure remodel due to cell wall stress. Brewer's yeast cell wall exhibits stress response during long-term acclimation in order to adapt to environmental changes. This paper reviews the composition and structure of yeast cell wall and the molecular mechanisms of cell wall remodeling and signal pathway regulation.
Cell Wall ; Chitin ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Depending on the acquisition of developmental competence, the expression of genes for beta-1,3-glucan synthase and chitin synthase was affected in different ways by Aspergillus nidulans LAMMER kinase. LAMMER kinase deletion, DeltalkhA, led to decrease in beta-1,3-glucan, but increase in chitin content. The DeltalkhA strain was also resistant to nikkomycin Z.
Aspergillus nidulans* ; Organelle Biogenesis* ; Cell Wall* ; Chitin ; Chitin Synthase ; Mental Competency ; Phosphotransferases*

Chitin synthases(UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine: chitin 4-beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminyl transferase, EC 2.4.1.16) catalyze the synthesis of chitin from UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Two zymogenic type of chitin synthase gene(TmCHS1 and TmCHS2) were amplified and its nucleotide sequences were determined. By the amino acid comparison and UPGMA tree grouping, TmChs1 and TmChs2 were classified as class II and class IV chitin synthases respectively. The class II type TmChs1 was grouped with others of Agaricales ectomycorrhizal mushroom. Additionally the phylogenetic tree was well adapted to Hymenomycete previously classified by morphological and physiological characteristics.
Agaricales ; Base Sequence ; Chitin Synthase* ; Chitin* ; Clone Cells* ; Cloning, Organism* ; Transferases ; Tricholoma*

This study is to compare the effect of wound healing using three different types of chitin, which include the shapes of sponge, velvet, thick non-woven fabrics, and thin non-woven fabrics. The sponge type had more capacity to absorb the first discharge of a wound than the velvet type and the two non-woven fabrics types. Instead of absorbing the discharge effectively, the velvet type showed a difficulty to take off the dressing stuff from a wound since it was solidly stuck to the wound. The sponge type showed less infiltration of inflammatory cells, producing angiogenesis and fibroblast faster than any other types. Next, the thick non-woven fabrics type was a little more effective than the thin non-woven fabrics type: However, there was no difference between two types. The velvet type sustained the infiltration of inflammatory cells for the longest duration, producing slower angiogenesis and fibroblast. In wound contraction and wound healing, the sponge type was most effective with statistical significance than any other types(p<0.05). The two types of non-woven fabrics did not present any statistical significance in wound contraction, wound epithelization and wound healing(p>0.05). In conclusion, the sponge type showed the best effectiveness to absorb the early discharge, facilitating the progress of inflammatory phase to increase the healing rate. It induced an early healing of wound caused by wound contraction rather than by wound epithelization.
Bandages ; Chitin ; Chitosan* ; Fibroblasts ; Porifera ; Wound Healing* ; Wounds and Injuries*

The effect of chitosan, a carbohydrate biopolymer extracted from chitin, on periodontal regeneration is of particular interest. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of chitosan on primary rat calvarial cells in vitro, with special focus on their proliferative properties by cell activity and the amount of total protein synthesis. The experimental groups were cultured with chitosan in concentration of 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0 mg/ml for MTT assay. In the experimental groups, cells were cultured with chitosan in concentration of 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/ml. Each group was characterized by examining alkaline phosphatase activity at 3 and 7 days and the ability to produce mineralized nodules of rat calvarial cells at 14 and 21 days. The results were as follows: 1. The cell activity was not reduced in the concentration of 0.01~1.0 mg/ml whereas the cell activity was reduced in the concentration of 5.0 mg/ml than the control at day 1 and 3 (p<0.05). 2. Primary rat calvarial cells treated with chitosan in the concentration 0.01 mg/ml and 0.1 mg/ml showed more protein synthesis than the control at day 3 (p<0.01). But primary rat calvarial cells treated with chitosan showed more protein synthesis than in control but they didn't have statistically difference among groups at day 7. 3. At 3 and 7 days, alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly increased in the concentration of 0.01 mg/ml. 0.1 mg/ml and 1.0 mg/ml (p<0.05). 4. The percentage of mineralized bone nodule was more in the concentration of chitosan 0.1 mg/ml and 1.0 mg/ml than the control. These results suggested that chitosan has a positive effect on the bone formation of primary rat calvarial cells in the concentration of 0.1 mg/ml and 1.0 mg/ml.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Animals ; Biopolymers ; Chitin ; Chitosan* ; Osteogenesis ; Rats* ; Regeneration

Biological Evolution ; Chitin ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Fungi ; classification ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phylogeny

BACKGROUND: The species of dermatophytes have been identified and classified by morphological and biochemical characterization as well as by mating experiments. But these techniques are either time consuming or lacking specificity. Recently molecular analysis has been introduced to the field of medical mycology. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the phylogeny and taxomomy of the dermatophytes using sequence analysis of the chitin synthase 1 (CHS1) gene. METHODS: 15 species of dermatophytes (6 strains of T.rubrum, 4 strains of T. mentagrophytes subtypes, M. canis, M. gypseum, E. floccosum, T. verrucosum, and T. tonsurans) were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose broth and their DNA were extracted by bead-beating method. Cloning and sequencing of PCR product were done. RESULTS: The size of specific bands among dermatophytes was 615 bp in CHS1 gene. Phylogenetic analysis of sequences revealed that 6 strains of T. rubrum showed genetically identical pattern in intraspecies, but subtypes of T. mentagrophytes were different. The other dermatophytes showed different pattern in interspecies. CONCLUSION: The phylogenetic analysis of CHS1 gene provided useful information for classification and understanding the evolution of dermatophytes species.
Arthrodermataceae* ; Chitin Synthase* ; Chitin* ; Classification* ; Clone Cells ; Cloning, Organism ; DNA ; Glucose ; Mycology ; Phylogeny* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sequence Analysis*

Chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature after cellulose, consist exoskeleton of lower organisms such as fungi, crustaceans and insects except mammals. Recently, several studies evaluated immunologic effects of chitin in vivo and in vitro and revealed new aspects of chitin regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. It has been shown that exogenous chitin activates macrophages and other innate immune cells and also modulates adaptive type 2 allergic inflammation. These studies further demonstrate that chitin stimulate macrophages by interacting with different cell surface receptors such as macrophage mannose receptor, toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2), C-type lectin receptor Dectin-1, and leukotriene B4 recepptor (BLT1). On the other hand, a number of chitinase or chitinase-like proteins (C/CLP) are ubiquitously expressed in the airways and intestinal tracts from insects to mammals. In general, these chitinase family proteins confer protective functions to the host against exogenous chitin-containing pathogens. However, substantial body of recent studies also set light on new roles of C/CLP in the development and progression of allergic inflammation and tissue remodeling. In this review, recent findings on the role of chitin and C/CLP in allergic inflammation and tissue remodeling will be highlighted and controversial and unsolved issues in this field of studies will be discussed.
Animals ; Chitin/*immunology ; Chitinase/*immunology ; Glycoproteins/*immunology ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity/*immunology ; Inflammation/*immunology