Developing Novel Application Routes for Chito-Oligosaccharides Produced from the Marine Biopolymer Chitin

Kitin er en lineær, 1,4-beta-linket uløselig marin karbohydrat biopolymer bestående av N-acetylglukosamin med en årlig produksjon på 100 gigatonn i naturen. Denne kan modifiseres til kitosan ved å endre mellom 0 til 100 % av N-acetylgrupper til fri amin og både kitin og kitosan kan spaltes til kito-oligosakkarider(CHOS).CHOS av en bestemt lengde har vist å ha antifungal effekt. Vi har fremsatt en hypotese at en kombinasjon av CHOS og kommersielle antifungale legemidler vil kunne gi en økt effekt i behandling av fungale infeksjoner. Dette har vi nå vist i laboratorieforsøk hvor våre CHOS og kommersielle legemidler gir en meget høy synergi i den antifungale effekten. Ved bruk av vår teknologi kan man redusere bruken av standard antifungale legemidler med opp mot 90 %.

Chitin, an insoluble linear polysaccharide consisting of repeated units of beta-1,4-N-acetylgucosamine, is common as a structural polymer in crustaceans, arthropods, fungi, and parasitic nematodes. Its annual production surpasses 1011 metric tons per year and is regarded as waste product i.e. sea food industry. This marine biopolymer can be modified to chitosan by changing between 0 to 100 % of the N-acetyl groups to free amines and both chitin and chitosan can be cleaved into chito-oligosaccharides (CHOS ). CHOS has been shown to have several beneficial effects and can possibly be used as fungicides, bactericides, hemostatic agents, and inhibitors of tumor growths. The most reliable studies available show that the length of the CHOS (DP), the number of fr ee amine groups vs. N-acetyl groups, and the sequence of these (PA) are of paramount importance in the most observed advantageous biological effects. Having control of these parameters is thus important. Although isolation of pure CHOS is not trivial, we have developed enzyme technology for the degradation of chitosan that yields CHOS of exact DP and an enrichment of desired FA and PA. This coupled with standard chromatographic isolation methods, gives us access to specific CHOS that can be tested for bio logical activity of interest. The goal of this project is to up-scale and develop new favorable applications for CHOS and to produce IP in areas that have clear commercial value and well-defined ownership. The application area to be tested is antifungal infections in humans. The project is highly successful if we manage to realize the commercial potential.