The present study was undertaken to evaluate the applicability of chitosan monomer (D-glucosamine hydrochloride) as a pulp capping medicament. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to study the cell metabolism and wound healing mechanisms following the application of chitomonosaccharide. After 3 days of osteoblast culture, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity significantly increased in the chitosan group. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that chitosan induced an increase in the expression of ALP mRNA after 3 days and bone morphogenetic protein-2 mRNA after 7 days of osteoblast incubation. Inflammatory cytokine, interleukin (IL)-8, synthesis in fibroblasts was strongly suppressed in the medium supplemented with chitosan monomer. Histopathological effects were evaluated in rat experiments. After 1 day, inflammatory cell infiltrations were observed to be weak when compared with the application of chitosan polymer. After 3 days, a remarkable proliferation of fibroblasts was seen near the applied chitosan monomer. The inflammatory cell infiltration had almost completely disappeared. After 5 days, the fibroblastic proliferation progressed, and some odontoblastic cells appeared at the periphery of the proliferated fibroblasts. These findings indicate that the present study is the first report that chitosan monomer acts as a biocompatibility stable medicament even at the initial stage of wound healing in comparison with the application of chitosan polymer.
Two acidic polysaccharides, called ginsenan S-IA and ginsenan S-IIA, were isolated from the root of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer. They were homogeneous on electrophoresis and gel chromatography, and their molecular masses were estimated to be 5.6 x 10(4) and 1.0 x 10(5), respectively. Ginsenan S-IA is composed of L-arabinose: D-galactose: D-galacturonic acid in the molar ratio of 8:8:1, and ginsenan S-IIA is composed of L-arabinose: D-galactose: D-glucose: D-galacturonic acid in the molar ratio of 15:10:2:5, in addition to small amounts of O-acetyl groups. About a half (ginsenan S-IA) and about a quarter (ginsenan S-IIA) of the hexuronic acid residues exist as methyl esters. Reduction of carboxyl groups, methylation analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance and periodate oxidation studies indicated that their structural features include mainly alpha-1,5-linked L-arabino-beta-3,6-branched D-galactan type structural units. Both polysaccharides showed remarkable reticuloendothelial system-potentiating activity in a carbon clearance test and pronounced anti-complementary activity. These substances are the first examples having a relatively high content of both alpha-3,5-branched L-arabinose and beta-1,4-linked D-galactose units among the acidic arabinogalactans with activities on phagocytosis and anti-complement.
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