Antimicrobial Chitosan Conjugates: Current Synthetic Strategies and Potential Applications

Abstract

As a natural polysaccharide, chitosan possesses good biocompatibility, biodegradability and biosafety. Its hydroxyl and amino groups make it an ideal carrier material in the construction of polymer-drug conjugates. In recent years, various synthetic strategies have been used to couple chitosan with active substances to obtain conjugates with diverse structures and unique functions. In particular, chitosan conjugates with antimicrobial activity have shown great application prospects in the fields of medicine, food, and agriculture in recent years. Hence, we will place substantial emphasis on the synthetic approaches for preparing chitosan conjugates and their antimicrobial applications, which are not well summarized. Meanwhile, the challenges, limitations, and prospects of antimicrobial chitosan conjugates are described and discussed.

Crosslinking of Chitosan with Dialdehyde Chitosan as a New Approach for Biomedical Applications

“…Chitosan, a polysaccharide derived from the partial deacetylation of chitin, is a cationic linear biopolymer [ 8 , 9 ]. It has been widely considered as one of the safest biomaterials for various biomedical applications [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Preparation, Bioactivities and Applications in Food Industry of Chitosan-Based Maillard Products: A Review

“…Many studies have shown that chitosan possesses strong antimicrobial activity against a wide range of microorganisms, such as fungi (molds and yeasts), Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria [ 8 , 11 ]. Some studies have reported that chitosan is considered to possess stronger antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria compared with Gram-positive bacteria, although there is some controversy regarding this fact as the opposite has also been stated by other authors [ 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”

“…Among most studies, it has been reported that chitosan also has antimicrobial and antioxidant activities which promote its use in the fields of food protection and the pharmaceutical industry in particular [ 7 ]. In addition to effectively enhancing the shelf life of food ingredients, preventing oxidative damages and inhibiting food-borne pathogens development, it can also increase drugs’ solubility and retention in the site where they are applied [ 2 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. However, chitosan has certain limitations and not all chitosans display optimal properties, and research has shown that chitosan with a poor water-solubility at neutral or basic pH and therefore may have limited applications [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Approaches for the inhibition and elimination of microbial biofilms using macromolecular agents

“…For more information on this aspect of the field, the reader is referred to the following texts. [34][35][36] In this Review, an overview of biofilm formation will be given, including a brief description of biofilm structure and function, which gives rise to their resistance and tolerance towards conventional antibiotic treatments. This will be followed by a review of strategies that exploit antibiofilm peptides and proteins, as well as their synthetic polymer counterparts, and nanoparticles thereof.…”