Abstract
Of recent, immense attention has been given to chitosan in the biomedical field due to its valuable biochemical and physiological properties. Traditionally, the chief source of chitosan is chitin from crab and shrimp shells. Chitin is also an important component of fish scales, insects and fungal cell walls. Thus, the aim of this study was to isolate and characterize chitosan from locally available material for potential use in the biomedical field. Chitosan ash and nitrogen contents ranged from 1.55 to 3.5% and 6.6 to 7.0% respectively. Molecular weight varied from 291 to 348KDa. FTIR spectra revealed high degree of similarity between locally isolated chitosan and commercial chitosan with DD ranging from 77.8 to 79.1%. XRD patterns exhibited peaks at 2θ values of 19.5° for both mushroom and banana weevil chitosan while Nile perch scales chitosan registered 3 peaks at 2θ angles of 12.3°, 20.1° and 21.3° comparable to the established commercial chitosan XRD pattern. Locally isolated chitosan exhibited antimicrobial activity at a very high concentration. Ash content, moisture content, DD, FTIR spectra and XRD patterns revealed that chitosan isolated from locally available materials has physiochemical properties comparable to conventional chitosan and therefore it can be used in the biomedical field.
Highlights
Of recent, immense attention has been given to chitosan in the biomedical field due to its valuable biochemical and physiological properties
Exploring the use of Nile perch scales and banana weevils as sources of chitosan for biomedical application will alleviate on the burden they put on the respective industries as Nile perch scales are a major waste of the fisheries industry without any application and require extra resources for proper disposal while the banana weevil is the chief banana production restraint in U ganda[14,15]
The purity level of chitosan and its physicochemical properties affect its biological parameters such as biodegradability, biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity. These physicochemical characteristics are influenced by raw materials and the method used in chitosan isolation
Summary
Immense attention has been given to chitosan in the biomedical field due to its valuable biochemical and physiological properties. Moisture content, DD, FTIR spectra and XRD patterns revealed that chitosan isolated from locally available materials has physiochemical properties comparable to conventional chitosan and it can be used in the biomedical field. Chitin the raw material for synthesis of chitosan, is extensively abundant in nature Like cellulose, this polymer is linear and non-polar with very low chemical reactivity but highly soluble in concentrated acids and a few flouroalcohols[1,2,3]. Chitin is an important component of fish scales, arthropod exoskeleton and cell walls of fungal cells; Uganda’s edible mushrooms, banana weevils and Nile perch scales can be alternative sources of chitin and its chitosan derivatives.
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