Chemoenzymatic Production and Engineering of Chitooligosaccharides and N-acetyl Glucosamine for Refining Biological Activities

Abstract

Chitooligosaccharides (COS) and N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc) are currently of enormous relevance to pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetics, food, and agriculture industries due to their wide range of biological activities, which include antimicrobial, antitumor, antioxidant, anticoagulant, wound healing, immunoregulatory, and hypocholesterolemic effects. A range of methods have been developed for the synthesis of COS with a specific degree of polymerization along with high production titres. In this respect, chemical, enzymatic, and microbial means, along with modern genetic manipulation techniques, have been extensively explored; however no method has been able to competently produce defined COS and GlcNAc in a mono-system approach. Henceforth, the chitin research has turned toward increased exploration of chemoenzymatic processes for COS and GlcNAc generation. Recent developments in the area of green chemicals, mainly ionic liquids, proved vital for the specified COS and GlcNAc synthesis with better yield and purity. Moreover, engineering of COS and GlcNAc to generate novel derivatives viz. carboxylated, sulfated, phenolic acid conjugated, amino derived COS, etc., further improved their biological activities. Consequently, chemoenzymatic synthesis and engineering of COS and GlcNAc emerged as a useful approach to lead the biologically-active compound-based biomedical research to an advanced prospect in the forthcoming era.

Antimicrobial Activity of Chemically and Biologically Treated Chitosan Prepared from Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Pupal Shell Waste

“…Chitin is a natural polysaccharide that exists as the second most common polymer after cellulose [1]. It occurs as a structural component in most crustacean shells, the pupal exuviae of some insects, and in the cell membranes of fungi [2].…”

Preparation of fusarium oxysporum-inhibiting chito-oligosaccharide by chitin/chitosan-hydrolyzing enzyme from actinomycetes

“…Nhiều nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng hoạt tính sinh học của COS phụ thuộc rất lớn vào mức độ polyme và mức độ acetyl nên sản phẩm COS điều chế trong nghiên cứu này sẽ được chúng tôi đánh giá sơ bộ hoạt tính kháng sự nảy mầm của bào tử nấm Fusarium oxysporum (Kumar et al, 2020). Hoạt tính kháng sự nảy mầm của bào tử nấm F. oxysporum sẽ được thực hiện với dải nồng độ của COS và chitosan từ 0,03‰ đến 0,3‰ (Hình 4).…”

Polyextremophilic Chitinolytic Activity by a Marine Strain (IG119) of Clonostachys rosea

“…Also, the search of chitinolytic enzymes, active at high salt concentrations, represents an interesting investigation field with several promising applications. These enzymes can find use in the valorization of chitinous wastes (i.e., shellfish wastes), production of added-value chitin derivatives (i.e., chito-oligosaccharides) under special conditions, preservation of salted food, and biological pest control in xerophilic habitats [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”