International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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6 pages, 507 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Chitosan: Structural and Chemical Modification, Properties, and Application

by Joanna Kluczka

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 554; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010554 - 31 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1012

Abstract

Chitosan is a polymer of natural origins that possesses many favourable properties [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan: Structural and Chemical Modification, Properties and Application)

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Research

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13 pages, 5986 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Crosslinked Chitosan Nanoparticles with Muco-Adhesive Potential for Intranasal Delivery Applications

by Mariacristina Gagliardi, Sara Chiarugi, Chiara De Cesari, Giulia Di Gregorio, Alessandra Diodati, Laura Baroncelli, Marco Cecchini and Ilaria Tonazzini

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6590; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076590 - 1 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2844

Abstract

Intranasal drug delivery is convenient and provides a high bioavailability but requires the use of mucoadhesive nanocarriers. Chitosan is a well-established polymer for mucoadhesive applications but can suffer from poor cytocompatibility and stability upon administration. In this work, we present a method to [...] Read more.

Intranasal drug delivery is convenient and provides a high bioavailability but requires the use of mucoadhesive nanocarriers. Chitosan is a well-established polymer for mucoadhesive applications but can suffer from poor cytocompatibility and stability upon administration. In this work, we present a method to obtain stable and cytocompatible crosslinked chitosan nanoparticles. We used 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid as a biocompatible crosslinker and compared the obtained particles with those prepared by ionotropic gelation using sodium tripolyphosphate. Nanoparticles were tested to evaluate the size and the surface charge, as well as their stability in storage conditions (4 °C), at the nasal cavity temperature (32 °C), and at the body temperature (37 °C). The crosslinked chitosan nanoparticles showed a size around 150 nm and a surface charge of 10.3 mV ± 0.9 mV, both compatible with the intranasal drug administration. Size and surface charge parameters did not significantly vary over time, indicating the good stability of these nanoparticles. We finally tested their cytocompatibility in vitro using SHSY5Y human neuroblastoma and RPMI 2650 human nasal epithelial cells, with positive results. In conclusion, the proposed synthetic system shows an interesting potential as a drug carrier for intranasal delivery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan: Structural and Chemical Modification, Properties and Application)

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15 pages, 2609 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improving Chitosan Hydrogels Printability: A Comprehensive Study on Printing Scaffolds for Customized Drug Delivery

by Sara Cardoso, Francisco Narciso, Nuno Monge, Ana Bettencourt and Isabel A. C. Ribeiro

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(2), 973; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24020973 - 4 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1976

Abstract

Chitosan is an interesting polymer to produce hydrogels suitable for the 3D printing of customized drug delivery systems. This study aimed at the achievement of chitosan-based scaffolds suitable for the incorporation of active components in the matrix or loaded into the pores. Several [...] Read more.

Chitosan is an interesting polymer to produce hydrogels suitable for the 3D printing of customized drug delivery systems. This study aimed at the achievement of chitosan-based scaffolds suitable for the incorporation of active components in the matrix or loaded into the pores. Several scaffolds were printed using different chitosan-based hydrogels. To understand which parameters would have a greater impact on printability, an optimization study was conducted. The scaffolds with the highest printability were obtained with a chitosan hydrogel at 2.5 wt%, a flow speed of 0.15 mm/s and a layer height of 0.41 mm. To improve the chitosan hydrogel printability, starch was added, and a design of experiments with three factors and two responses was carried out to find out the optimal starch supplementation. It was possible to conclude that the addition of starch (13 wt%) to the chitosan hydrogel improved the structural characteristics of the chitosan-based scaffolds. These scaffolds showed potential to be tested in the future as drug-delivery systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan: Structural and Chemical Modification, Properties and Application)

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13 pages, 7907 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toward a Green and Sustainable Silver Conservation: Development and Validation of Chitosan-Based Protective Coatings

by Francesca Boccaccini, Chiara Giuliani, Marianna Pascucci, Cristina Riccucci, Elena Messina, Maria Paola Staccioli, Gabriel Maria Ingo and Gabriella Di Carlo

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(22), 14454; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232214454 - 21 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1893

Abstract

When exposed to air, silver artifacts undergo an unpleasant darkening and shiny loss, commonly known as tarnishing. At the present, the development of protective coatings by using eco-friendly and biocompatible materials, able to ensure high transparency and to hinder the degradation of silver [...] Read more.

When exposed to air, silver artifacts undergo an unpleasant darkening and shiny loss, commonly known as tarnishing. At the present, the development of protective coatings by using eco-friendly and biocompatible materials, able to ensure high transparency and to hinder the degradation of silver objects, remains a huge challenge. In this study, chitosan was used for the first time to realize sustainable coatings for silver protection. Both pure and benzotriazole-containing chitosan coatings were prepared and applied on sterling silver disks. A commercial product based on acrylic resin was used as a reference. The aesthetic features and protective properties of these coatings were evaluated by performing two different types of aging treatments. In particular, the assessment of the protective efficacy was carried out by reproducing both highly aggressive polluted environments and real-like museums’ storage conditions. In the first case, chitosan-based coatings with benzotriazole performed better, whereas in storage conditions all the chitosan films showed comparable efficacy. Compositional, morphological and structural analyses were used to evaluate the protective properties of the coatings and to detect any physical or chemical modifications after the aging treatments. Our findings reveal that the two different testing methods provide complementary information. Moreover, chitosan coatings can achieve protective efficacy comparable with that of the commercial product but using non-toxic solvents and a renewable biopolymer. Chitosan coatings, designed for cultural heritage conservation, are thus promising for the protection of common sterling silver objects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan: Structural and Chemical Modification, Properties and Application)

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18 pages, 2094 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Isotherm, Thermodynamics, and Kinetics of Methyl Orange Adsorption onto Magnetic Resin of Chitosan Microspheres

by Lina Yu, Jie Bi, Yu Song and Mingqing Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(22), 13839; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232213839 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1612

Abstract

Severe environmental pollution problems arising from toxic dyestuffs (e.g., methyl orange) are receiving increasing attention. Therefore, dyes’ safe removal has become a research hotspot. Among the many physical–chemical removal techniques, adsorption using renewable biological resources has proved to be more advantageous over others [...] Read more.

Severe environmental pollution problems arising from toxic dyestuffs (e.g., methyl orange) are receiving increasing attention. Therefore, dyes’ safe removal has become a research hotspot. Among the many physical–chemical removal techniques, adsorption using renewable biological resources has proved to be more advantageous over others due to its effectiveness and economy. Chitosan is a natural, renewable biopolymer obtained by deactivated chitin. Thus, the magnetic resin of chitosan microspheres (MRCM), prepared by reversed-phase suspension cross-linking polymerization, was used to remove methyl orange from a solution in a batch adsorption system. The main results are as follows: (1) The results of physical and swelling properties of MRCM indicated that MRCM was a type of black spherical, porous, water-absorbing, and weak alkali exchange resin, and it had the ability to adsorb methyl orange when it was applied in solutions above pH 2.0. (2) In batch adsorption studies, the maximum adsorption capacity was obtained at pH 5; the adsorption equilibrium time was 140 min; and the maximum adsorption was reached at 450 mg/L initial concentration. (3) Among the three isotherm adsorption models, Langmuir achieved the best fit for the adsorption of methyl orange onto MRCM. (4) The adsorption thermodynamics indicated that the adsorption was spontaneous, with increasing enthalpy, and was driven by the entropy. (5) The pseudo-second-order kinetics equation was most suitable to describe the adsorption kinetics, and the adsorption kinetics was also controlled by the liquid–film diffusion dynamics. Consequently, MRCM with relatively higher methyl orange adsorption exhibited the great efficiency for methyl orange removal as an environment-friendly sorbent. Thus, the findings are useful for methyl orange pollution control in real-life wastewater treatment applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan: Structural and Chemical Modification, Properties and Application)

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19 pages, 9310 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Accurate Determination of the Degree of Deacetylation of Chitosan Using UPLC–MS/MS

by Ting Xue, Wenqing Wang, Zhiyuan Yang, Fanjun Wang, Lei Yang, Jian Li, Hui Gan, Ruolan Gu, Zhuona Wu, Guifang Dou and Zhiyun Meng

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(15), 8810; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23158810 - 8 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2560

Abstract

The mole fraction of deacetylated monomeric units in chitosan (CS) molecules is referred to as CS’s degree of deacetylation (DD). In this study, 35 characteristic ions of CS were detected using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/MS). The relative response intensity of 35 characteristic [...] Read more.

The mole fraction of deacetylated monomeric units in chitosan (CS) molecules is referred to as CS’s degree of deacetylation (DD). In this study, 35 characteristic ions of CS were detected using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/MS). The relative response intensity of 35 characteristic ion pairs using a single charge in nine CS samples with varying DDs was analyzed using 30 analytical methods. There was a good linear relationship between the relative response intensity of the characteristic ion pairs determined using ultrahigh performance (UP) LC–MS/MS and the DD of CS. The UPLC–MS/MS method for determining the DD of CS was unaffected by the sample concentration. The detection instrument has a wide range of application parameters with different voltages, high temperatures, and gas flow conditions. This study established a detection method for the DD of CS with high sensitivity, fast analysis, accuracy, stability, and durability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan: Structural and Chemical Modification, Properties and Application)

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Review

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28 pages, 3599 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recovery of Phosphate(V) Ions from Water and Wastewater Using Chitosan-Based Sorbents Modified—A Literature Review

by Łukasz Wujcicki and Joanna Kluczka

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(15), 12060; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512060 - 27 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2258

Abstract

Over the past two decades, there has been increasing interest in the use of low-cost and effective sorbents in water treatment. Hybrid chitosan sorbents are potential materials for the adsorptive removal of phosphorus, which occurs in natural waters mainly in the form of [...] Read more.

Over the past two decades, there has been increasing interest in the use of low-cost and effective sorbents in water treatment. Hybrid chitosan sorbents are potential materials for the adsorptive removal of phosphorus, which occurs in natural waters mainly in the form of orthophosphate(V). Even though there are numerous publications on this topic, the use of such sorbents in industrial water treatment and purification is limited and controversial. However, due to the explosive human population growth, the ever-increasing global demand for food has contributed to the consumption of phosphorus compounds and other biogenic elements (such as nitrogen, potassium, or sodium) in plant cultivation and animal husbandry. Therefore, the recovery and reuse of phosphorus compounds is an important issue to investigate for the development and maintenance of a circular economy. This paper characterizes the problem of the presence of excess phosphorus in water reservoirs and presents methods for the adsorptive removal of phosphate(V) from water matrices using chitosan composites. Additionally, we compare the impact of modifications, structure, and form of chitosan composites on the efficiency of phosphate ion removal and adsorption capacity. The state of knowledge regarding the mechanism of adsorption is detailed, and the results of research on the desorption of phosphates are described. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan: Structural and Chemical Modification, Properties and Application)

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24 pages, 2499 KiB

Open AccessReview

Neat Chitosan Porous Materials: A Review of Preparation, Structure Characterization and Application

by Paweł Grzybek, Łukasz Jakubski and Gabriela Dudek

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(17), 9932; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23179932 - 1 Sep 2022

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3298

Abstract

This review presents an overview of methods for preparing chitosan-derived porous materials and discusses their potential applications. This family of materials has garnered significant attention owing to their biocompatibility, nontoxicity, antibacterial properties, and biodegradability, which make them advantageous in a wide range of [...] Read more.

This review presents an overview of methods for preparing chitosan-derived porous materials and discusses their potential applications. This family of materials has garnered significant attention owing to their biocompatibility, nontoxicity, antibacterial properties, and biodegradability, which make them advantageous in a wide range of applications. Although individual porous chitosan-based materials have been widely discussed in the literature, a summary of all available methods for preparing materials based on pure chitosan, along with their structural characterization and potential applications, has not yet been presented. This review discusses five strategies for fabricating porous chitosan materials, i.e., cryogelation, freeze-drying, sol-gel, phase inversion, and extraction of a porogen agent. Each approach is described in detail with examples related to the preparation of chitosan materials. The influence of the fabrication method on the structure of the obtained material is also highlighted herein. Finally, we discuss the potential applications of the considered materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitosan: Structural and Chemical Modification, Properties and Application)

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