Kaolinite-Chitosan based Nano-Composites and Applications

Chitosan and chitosan‑based composites as beneficial compounds for animal health: Impact on gastrointestinal functions and biocarrier application

12 - Chitosan Nanocomposite Application in Wastewater Treatments

Chitin and chitosan properties are highly variable depending on the source, deacetylation, protein concentration, and extraction procedures. In order to obtain chitin and chitosan, they can be obtained from chemical and biological methods, conventional methods and microwave irradiation. All the methods undergo the same process; demineralization, deproteinization and deacetylation. Chitin and chitosan undergo modification (acetylation, quaternization, oxidative) to enhance its physical properties. Due to that, chitin and chitosan-based composites have the ability to assist in one of the most important environmental issues, which is water contamination as well as in other applications. Chitin has a poor solubility level, but it has been replaced by its derivative, chitosan, which has improved qualities as a soluble biopolymer rich in –NH2 and OH groups, which assists in a more efficient adsorption process when these biopolymers were modified. Chitin and chitosan composite undergo a thermomechanical kneading process to be used in food packaging. This includes chitosan as an edible food coating. Coating can be applied directly to the surface of meals as edible coatings or the surface of packaging materials to functionalize them. Furthermore, composite materials composed of chitin and chitosan have garnered substantial attention for biomedical purposes due to their low sensitivity to foreign substances, inherent antibacterial characteristics, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, as well as their ability to be moulded into a range of geometries and forms. This chapter emphasizes that the composites of chitin and chitosan can act as effective bio adsorbents for a variety of contaminants including adsorbent for wastewater’s pollutants as well as the application in food packaging and biomedical. Thus, these chitin and chitosan composites have the ability to adapt in many applications due to their unique properties.KeywordsChitosanChitinCompositesBiomedicalFood PackagingAdsorbentsExtractionModificationPolymer

Chitosan has become a highlighted polymer, gaining paramount importance and research attention. The fact that this valuable polymer can be extracted from food industry-generated shell waste gives it immense value. Chitosan, owing to its biological and physicochemical properties, has become an attractive option for biomedical applications. This review briefly runs through the various methods involved in the preparation of chitosan and chitosan nanoforms. For the first time, we consolidate the available scattered reports on the various attempts towards greens synthesis of chitosan, chitosan nanomaterials, and chitosan nanocomposites. The drug delivery applications of chitosan and its nanoforms have been reviewed. This review points to the lack of systematic research in the area of green synthesis of chitosan. Researchers have been concentrating more on recovering chitosan from marine shell waste through chemical and synthetic processes that generate toxic wastes, rather than working on eco-friendly green processes—this is projected in this review. This review draws the attention of researchers to turn to novel and innovative green processes. More so, there are scarce reports on the application of green synthesized chitosan nanoforms and nanocomposites towards drug delivery applications. This is another area that deserves research focus. These have been speculated and highlighted as future perspectives in this review.

Chitin and chitosan are the most widely used biodegradable and biocompatible materials subsequent to cellulose. Nowadays a wide range of materials, including those classified as organic, inorganic, and biological are used in the synthesis, fabrication, and processing of nanostructures with unique physical properties. The properties of the polymer significantly improve by dispersing a few percentage of nanoparticle in the polymer matrix. In this context, we are focusing on the preparation, characterization, and bioactivity of chitin and chitosan nanocomposite in detail. The morphological changes occur in presence of nanoparticle. The improvement of thermal and mechanical properties including dynamic mechanical behavior of chitin and chitosan in presence of different nanofillers has been discussed in detail with suitable example as potential material for bone and wound tissue engineering applications. We summarize the physicochemical and drug delivery properties of chitin and chitosan composites. The cytocompatibility of the nanocomposites is assessed with improved cell attachment and proliferation using different human cells. This chapter enhances the understanding of biological uses of chitin and chitosan with their improved properties in presence of nanoparticles. A new approach at the intersection of biology and nanotechnology is focused to develop the next promising eco-friendly biopolymer nanocomposites.

Chitosan is an abundant, non-toxic, reasonably priced polysaccharide with distinct physicochemical and biological characteristics. This biopolymer has become one of the most important in a matrix of nanocomposites because of the novel and improved characteristics promoted in nanotechnological materials. In this way, there is a great range of executable arrangements to obtain nanocomposites with specific functionalities in the knowledge of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The former has become an important research field regarding chitosan nanocomposites’ biodegradability, biocompatibility, and bio-inertness. The latter is continuously facing new applications and obstacles and must find biocompatible materials and non-immunogenic species. Chitosan nanocomposites can promote cell adhesion and also replace some of the major components of bone, skin, and cartilaginous tissue. The natural biopolymer chitosan is hypoallergenic and does not stimulate body inflammation which makes chitosan nanocomposites an interesting type of material for these areas. In addition, chitosan nanocomposite production can be performed in several shapes, such as nanoparticles, scaffolds, fibers, and 3D printed structures, among others. Finally, this chapter presents and discusses the trend and challenges linked to the applications areas of chitosan nanocomposites fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.KeywordsChitosanNanocompositesScaffoldsTissue engineeringWound healing

Fungi and bacteria are important causes of damage to historical textiles. Many methods are used to resist innate damage in historical textiles. The study aim was to use an innovative method that loaded a mahogany plant extract onto natural chitosan and gelatin nanocomposite polymers to prepare chitosan / mahogany plant extract composite and gelatin mahogany plant extract nanocomposite and evaluate their potential for protecting historical textiles from biological damage. The fungi and bacteria found on historical textile samples were identified by biochemical methods. We performed an antifungal activity assessment of the mahogany—natural chitosan and mahogany—gelatin polymers to study the effect of these materials on the mechanical, chemical, and optical properties of dyed linen textiles. New linen fabrics dyed with madder, turmeric, and pomegranate were mordanted with alum, copper, and iron mordants. These materials were applied to dyed linen fabrics, and then the treated linen was artificially aged. The mechanical, chemical, and optical characteristics of the dyed linen fabric were examined by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, CIELab, the tensile strength and elongation test, and the air permeability test. Mahogany – chitosan was more effective than mahogany – gelatin as an antifungal and antibacterial treatment of dyed linen and caused fewer changes in the mechanical, chemical, and optical characteristics. The mahogany – chitosan composite is recommended for preservation of historical linen textiles.

The contamination of arsenic (As) in paddy soils poses severe risks to rice safety and human health. This study investigated the efficacy of foliar application of chitosan nanocomposite (ChNPs) in mitigating As translocation and modulating rhizosphere in rice under As contaminated soil conditions. Experiments revealed that ChNPs significantly reduced As accumulation in roots, stems, and grains by 12.22, 15.54, and 34.78% compared to untreated controls, respectively, while increasing As concentration in leaves and nodes by 6.35-15.33% and 9.54-18.90%. This indicates that ChNPs effectively restricted As translocation to the edible grains. The intervention also enhanced the plant's antioxidant defense, evidenced by increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content in roots, alongside elevated glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) levels in leaves. Simultaneously, ChNPs enhanced the formation of iron plaques (IP) on root surfaces, increasing the sequestration of As, iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) by 21.48, 28.39, and 51.82%, respectively. Concurrently, the concentrations of Fe, Mn, and As in the rhizosphere soil have increased, whereas the concentrations of these elements in the pore water have decreased. This dual function of ChNPs provides a sustainable strategy for reducing As bioavailability in rice agroecosystems.

Chitosan nanoparticles are promising polymeric and bio-based nanoparticles that have considerably gained a lot of interest in recent years due to their potential applications. They have significant promise as nanocarriers, which may encapsulate molecules like in medications or active chemicals, convey them to a specified location or site, and release them in a regulated manner once they have been delivered. The present review identified the recent development in deriving chitosan composites and nanoparticles from crustaceans that may be used in nanomedicine. It highlighted the crustacean's source of chitosan, the nanomedicine uses of chitosan nanocomposites, and the synthesis of chitosan nanocomposites. In addition, the study reviewed synthetic chitosan nanocomposites, described the mechanical properties of chitosan nanocomposites, discussed the process techniques for nano chitosan composites and the impacts of microstructures on some mechanical properties of nano-chitosan composites.

Adsorption properties of four organic pollutants on the carbon nanotube/C@Fe/chitosan nanocomposite have been studied.

The rapid advancements in nanotechnology in the field of nanomedicine have the potential to significantly enhance therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. There is considerable promise for enhancing the efficacy of cancer therapy through the manufacture of innovative nanocomposite materials. Metallic nanoparticles have been found to enhance the release of anticancer medications that are loaded onto them, resulting in a sustained release, hence reducing the dosage required for drug administration and preventing their buildup in healthy cells. The combination of nanotechnology with biocompatible materials offers new prospects for the development of advanced therapies that exhibit enhanced selectivity, reduced adverse effects, and improved patient outcomes. Chitosan (CS), a polysaccharide possessing distinct physicochemical properties, exhibits favorable attributes for controlled drug delivery due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. Chitosan nanocomposites exhibit heightened stability, improved biocompatibility, and prolonged release characteristics for anticancer medicines. The incorporation of gold (Au) nanoparticles into the chitosan nanocomposite results in the manifestation of photothermal characteristics, whereas the inclusion of silver (Ag) nanoparticles boosts the antibacterial capabilities of the synthesized nanocomposite. The objective of this review is to investigate the recent progress in the utilization of Ag and Au nanoparticles, or a combination thereof, within a chitosan matrix or its modified derivatives for the purpose of anticancer drug delivery. The research findings for the potential of a chitosan nanocomposite to deliver various anticancer drugs, such as doxorubicin, 5-Fluroacil, curcumin, paclitaxel, and 6-mercaptopurine, were investigated. Moreover, various modifications carried out on the chitosan matrix phase and the nanocomposite surfaces to enhance targeting selectivity, loading efficiency, and pH sensitivity were highlighted. In addition, challenges and perspectives that could motivate further research related to the applications of chitosan nanocomposites in cancer therapy were summarized.

Chitosan (CS) is a biopolymer with many unique characteristic’s properties including physicochemical, biological/pharmacological, biodegradability, nontoxicity, and biocompatibility. Among its many biomedical applications, chitosan has led to the inhibition of several lethal diseases. However, chitosan is produced from chitin via hydrolytic deacetylation. After the addition of carbon-based nanocomposite, the physical and mechanical properties of chitosan have been greatly enhanced. Composites of chitosan with additional noble metals, carbon-based nanocomposites comparable to carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene or graphene oxide, and many other moieties were found to have higher the activity or drug encapsulation ability of chitosan. In recent years, numerous carbon-based nanocomposite materials, also including multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) as well as graphene oxide (GO), were employed to enhance the drug carrier capabilities of chitosan. Graphene oxide is combined by chemical interactions with the biocompatible polymer chitosan to form a carbon-based nanocomposite of biopolymer, which are improved the drug loading capacity. This chapter examines the applications of chitosan as well as chitosan-based bio nanocomposites for the delivery of drugs. The continuous and prolonged pharmacological administration facilitated by chitosan-based nanocomposites enables the successful treatment of infections and illnesses.KeywordsNanobiocompositesChitosan polymerNanotechnologyDrug delivery

Fabrication, physico-chemical characterization, and bioactivity evaluation of chitosan-linalool composite nano-matrix as innovative controlled release delivery system for food preservation

12 - Chitosan-based nanocomposites for gene delivery: Application and future perspectives

Green tea extract was encapsulated in cyclodextrin to form an inclusion complex. Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance were employed to elucidate the complex structure. Only 10–50 wt% of green tea extract and cyclodextrin complex was incorporated into the chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol-based hydrogel composite. The structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of the complex loaded into the chitosan-based composite were investigated. Swelling characteristics and degradation behavior were also reported. The complex played an important role in the swelling and degradation curves. Antioxidant properties were then determined by 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·) and 2,2-azinobis (-ethylbenzothioazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS·+) assays, and the total phenolic content was determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu method. The green tea extract and cyclodextrin inclusion complex loaded into the chitosan-based polyvinyl alcohol-based hydrogel exhibits potential for use in cosmetics and nutraceutical foods.