Chitin

About: Chitin is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 6590 publications have been published within this topic receiving 253993 citations.

Effect of chitin, chitosan, and cellulose as diet supplements on the growth of cultured fish

Abstract: This study was conducted to examine the effect of supplementing chitin, chitosan, and cellulose in the diet on the growth of red sea bream, Japanese eel, and yellowtail. The growth rate of all fishes fed with the 10% chitin supplemented diet recorded the highest value indicating diet super-iority. The feed efficiency in the red sea bream and Japanese eel which were fed with the 10 chitin supplemented diet also recorded the highest values. All fishes fed with the chitosan sup-plemented diet had the lowest growth rates and feed efficiencies indicating that the inclusion of 10% chitosan in the diet must have inhibited the processes involved with the digestion, absorption, and assimilation of the basal diet. The growth rates and feed efficiencies of red sea bream and yellowtail fed with the 10% cellulose supplemented diet were slightly higher than the values recorded for the control diet. Chitinase, chitosanase, and cellulase activity in the stomach of the three types of fishes which were fed with the aforesaid diet were measured and only chitinase activity was detected. The level of chitinase activity in the stomach of these three fishes were in proportion to the rate of growth when fed with the chitin supplemented diet. These results suggested that in fishes which possess high activity of chitinase in their digestive gland, chitin is digested and utilized.

Preparation of a chitin-apatite composite by in situ precipitation onto porous chitin scaffolds.

Abstract: Composites of chitin with calcium phosphate were obtained by in situ precipitation of the mineral from a supersaturated solution onto chitin scaffolds. The chitin scaffolds were obtained by freeze drying to give a highly porous structure possessing a polar surface favorable for apatite nucleation and growth. The extent and arrangement of calcium phosphate deposits on the chitin and substituted chitin scaffolds were explored. Up to 55% by mass of calcium phosphate could be incorporated into chitin scaffolds. Deposits on the chitin surface were of a continuous apatite carpet nature while deposits on carboxymethylated chitin surfaces displayed a spherical morphology. Carboxymethylation of chitin exerts an overall inhibitory effect towards calcium phosphate deposition, but it provides for site-specific nucleation of the mineral phase. In situ precipitation can be an important route in the future production of various polymer–calcium phosphate composites. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 41, 541–548, 1998.

Chitin and Chitosan Induce Migration of Bovine Polymorphonuclear Cells.

Abstract: Bovine polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) were found to migrate to suspensions of finely granulated chitin and chitosan of an average size of 1 μm at higher rates than to those of an average size of 30 and 50 μm, respectively, through a 5 μm pore size polycarbonate filter in a Blind well chamber.