• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.89-96
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• 1994

The ether-type chitin derivatives were synthesized by reacting chitin with chloropropane, propylene oxide and chloropropane diol to form propyl chitin(PPC), hydroxypropyl chitin(HPC) and dihydroxypropyl chitin(DHPC). These derivatives formed a lyotropic cholesteric liquid crystallinity in concentrations over 30 wt% solution in formic acid (99%). Cast films from liquid crystalline solutions were degraded by lysozyme in pseudo-extra cellular tluid(PECF)solutions, at pH 1.2, pH 6.7 and pH 8.2. Three ether-type chitin derivatives rapidly degraded within the first week, and showed a decreased mechanical strength in neutral pH range. Dihydroxypropyl chitin showed the best biodegradation among these derivatives.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.432-438
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• 1996

Native crystalline chitin was hydrolyzed in an agitated bead reaction system using crude chitinase excreted from Aspergillus fumigatus JC-19. The reaction was enhanced significantly, and the concentration and yield of reducing sugar after 48 hours were measured to be 35.42 g/I (w/v) and 0.64, respectively, around 1.86 times higher than those of the conventional system that was carried out without glass beads. The effect of reaction conditions, such as the amounts of chitin, chitinase and glass beads, and the size of glass bead, were examined. Ball milled chitin was also hydrolyzed in the agitated bead reaction system, the conversion yield and reaction rate of ball milled chitin for 24 hours increased up to 0.87 and 48.02 g/I, respectively. Chitinase showed relatively high stability in the agitated bead reaction system, particularly in the presence of enzyme stabilizer, $Ca^{++}$, which played a critical role in preventing the deactivation of chitinase by the physical impact of glass beads. The variations of the structural features of chitin during the reaction were followed by SEM and X-ray diffraction, and the enhanced hydrolysis reaction was caused by both the fragmentation of chitin particles and the destruction of the crystalline structure owing to the synergic effects of the attrition of glass beads and the hydrolytic action of chitinase.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 1998

Hydrolysis and adsorption reversibility experiments were run for initial enzyme activity of 4.48, 9.65, 11.19 and 17.14U/mL at a temperature 30$^\circ C$. The chitin particle size corresponded to a mean particle diameter of 0.127mm, and the initial concentration of chitin was 10mg/mL. After approximately 2hrs, the enzyme activity remained constant in a speudo-steady state. The amounts in the bulk [E] and the amounts of enzyme adsorbed on the chitin surface [E] are plotted on Lineweaver-Burk plot to yield a linear relationship with a correlation coefficient of 0.99, a slope of 2.79cm$^-1$ and an intercept of 0.08$\textrm{cm}^2$/U. From this parameters, the values of [E$_T$] and $K_E$ were calculated to be 12.5U/cm$^2$ and 34.88U/mL. respectively, Adsorption isotherm of the enzyme on the particles showed a well developed plateau of 1.35$\times$10$^-3$, 4.72$\times$10$^-3$, 4.42$\times$10$^-3$, 8.58$\times$10$^-3$U/cm$^2$ at 30$^\circ C$. To determine the specificity of chitinase for crystalline chitin, the free energy of adsorption was measured, and its was determined as about -14.62~-18.8kJ/mol.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.403-408
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• 1993

Hydroxypropyl chitin(HPCH) was prepared from chitin by reacting it with propylene oxide. The formation of liquid crystalline character of HPCH was investigated using halogenated organic solvents. Solid state $^{13}C$ NMR spectra for chitin and HPCH confirmed the incorporation of hydroxypropyl moiety. The degree of substitution of HPCH was around 0.8 as detected by elemental analysis. WAXD patterns of chitin and HPCH showed that an incorporation of hydroxypropyl unit in chitin contributed to reducing the crystallinity and enhancing the solubility in organic solvents. Polarized light microscopic pictures of concentrated HPCH solution showed that HPCH formed cholesteric liquid crystalline character at about 25w/v% solution in dichloroacetic acid and 1, 2-dichloroethane. Inherent viscosity of HPCH solution in a mixed solvent showed a transient decrease.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Fisheries Technology Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.237-238
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• 2001

Chitin is the second most abundant natural polymer after cellulose. It is mainly extracted from crustaceous shells and cell walls of fungi, insects and yeast. Chitin is known to be insoluble in most common solvents except for strong acids or N,N-dimethylacetamid because of its rigid crystalline structure through intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Therefore, different derivatives have been prepared based on chemical and enzymic modification of chitin. (omitted)

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.158-162
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• 1998

The chitin was isolated from various kinds of insects such as exuvia of Psacothea hilaris Pascoe, silkworm pupa, Agrius convolvuli or from cuticle of cockroach by treatment with dilute HCI and NaOH. The chemical and crystalline structure was characterized by FT-IR and X-ray diffractometer. All of the chitins extracted from insects showed characteristic ${\alpha}$-chitin peaks at the Bragg angle 2$\theta$=9.3$^{\circ}$, 19.4$^{\circ}$, and 23.5$^{\circ}$by X-ray diffraction analysis. The transition from chitin to chitosan was confirmed by IR spectra and the degree of deacetylation of the crab shell, silkworm pupa, cockroach, and Psacothea hilaris Pascoe was 70.9, 76.4, 75.5, and 74.1%, respectively. The double diffraction peaks of insect chitosan were observed at 2$\theta$=10$^{\circ}$and 20$^{\circ}$, indication the characteristic of hydrated crystalline structure of chitosan.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.457-465
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• 2008

Development of various medical systems was accomplished through the progress of biotechnological method for therapy of human diseases. Furthermore, drug delivery systems have been investigated to carry the bioactive materials such as drug or gene in the body effectively. The most important thing in this system is to develop biomedical polymers having biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity. Chitosan, a natural polymer, has been importantly considered as biomedical materials due to its good biocompatibility and various bio-active characteristics. Since the property of chitosan is differently explained according to the crystalline structures of chitin, the study for structural analysis of chitin has to proceed to apply as a biomaterial. From this point of view, this article introduced the analysis of crystalline structural of chitin, general property of chitosan and potential characteristics of low molecular weight water-soluble chitosan (LMWSC) as a biomaterials. Furthermore, chemical modification of LMWSC using various functional groups was also performed to enhance its bioavailability and emphasize their potential as drug delivery carriers (DDS).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.516-521
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• 1992

Hydroxypropyl chitin (HPCH) was prepared by reacting chitin with propylene oxide. HPCH showed the improved solubility in several organic solvents compared with chitin. It showed the remarkable solubility in formic acid. Form the results of polarized microscopic observatoin of HPCH solution in formic acid, finger-print pattern was observed in concentrations over 30 wt% solution. Since no typical thermogram was observed in DSC scan, the HPCH showed a lyotropic cholestric liquid crystallinity.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.175-181
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• 1987

To increase the dissolution rate of furosemide, chitin and chitosan which are widely occurring biodegradable natural materials were used as drug carriers. The ground mixtures of furosemide with chitin or chitosan were prepared by grinding in a ball mill. The ground mixture showed a faster and more enhanced dissolution rate than the physical mixture or intact furosemide. The crystalline peaks of furosemide disappeared in the ground mixtures indicating the production of amorphous form. The comparison of infrared spectra of the physical mixture and the ground mixture showed an interaction such as association between the functional groups of furosemide and chitin or chitosan in the molecular level. The weight losses in TGA curves showed all the same patterns. However, the endothermic peak due to the fusion of furosemide in DTA curve disappeared in the ground mixture indicating the different thermal property. The dissolution of furosemide from ground mixtures was fast in the order of chitosan and then chitin. The co-grinding technique with chitin or chitosan provided a promising way enhancing the dissolution rate of practically insoluble drug.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.375-380
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• 2011

Bacillus licheniformis SK-1 naturally produces chitinase 72 (CHI72) with two truncation derivatives at the C-terminus, one with deletion of the chitin binding domain (ChBD), and the other with deletions of both fibronectin type III domain (FnIIID) and ChBD. We constructed deletions mutants of CHI72 with deletion of ChBD (CHI72${\Delta}$ChBD) and deletions of both FnIIID and ChBD (CHI72${\Delta}$FnIIID${\Delta}$ChBD), and studied their activity on soluble, amorphous and crystalline substrates. Interestingly, when equivalent amount of specific activity of each enzyme on soluble substrate was used, the product yield from CHI72-${\Delta}$ChBD and CHI72${\Delta}$FnIIID${\Delta}$ChBD on colloidal chitin was 2.5 and 1.6 fold higher than CHI72, respectively. In contrast, the product yield from CHI72${\Delta}$ChBD and CHI72${\Delta}$FnIIID-${\Delta}$ChBD on ${\beta}$-chitin reduced to 0.7 and 0.5 fold of CHI72, respectively. These results suggest that CHI72 can modulate its substrate specificities through truncations of the functional domains at the C-terminus, producing a mixture of enzymes with elevated efficiency of hydrolysis.