Abstract
The initial degradation rates (r) in human serum of three chitosans
with F-A = 0.42, 0.51, and 0.60 were determined by measuring the
decrease in viscosity as a function of time. A strong increase in
r with increasing F, of the chitosans was observed, with r increasing
proportionally to F-A(4.5). With increasing concentrations of lysozyme
added to the reaction mixtures of chitosan and serum, the relative
increase in degradation rate of chitosans with increasing F-A was
almost the same as that without lysozyme added. Addition of the chitinase
inhibitor allosamidin (50 mu M) did not inhibit the degradation rate
of chitosan (F-A = 0.60) by human serum. The results suggest that
chitosans are actually mainly depolymerized by lysozyme in human
serum, and not by other enzymes or other depolymerization mechanisms.
(C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.
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