Antimicrobial Activity of Chitosan Derivatives Containing N-Quaternized Moieties in Its Backbone: A Review

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Alessandro F. Martins²  Suelen P. Facchi¹  Heveline D. M. Follmann²  Antonio G. B. Pereira²  Adley F. Rubira²  Edvani C. Muniz² 

[1] Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR)–Estrada para Boa Esperança, Dois Vizinhos, Paraná 85660-000, Brazil; E-Mail:;Department of Chemistry, Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Av. Colombo, 5790, Maringá-PR 87020-900, Brazil; E-Mails:

关键词: chitosan;    chitosan derivatives;    quaternization;    antimicrobial activity;    antimicrobial mechanism;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms151120800

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Chitosan, which is derived from a deacetylation reaction of chitin, has attractive antimicrobial activity. However, chitosan applications as a biocide are only effective in acidic medium due to its low solubility in neutral and basic conditions. Also, the positive charges carried by the protonated amine groups of chitosan (in acidic conditions) that are the driving force for its solubilization are also associated with its antimicrobial activity. Therefore, chemical modifications of chitosan are required to enhance its solubility and broaden the spectrum of its applications, including as biocide. Quaternization on the nitrogen atom of chitosan is the most used route to render water-soluble chitosan-derivatives, especially at physiological pH conditions. Recent reports in the literature demonstrate that such chitosan-derivatives present excellent antimicrobial activity due to permanent positive charge on nitrogen atoms side-bonded to the polymer backbone. This review presents some relevant work regarding the use of quaternized chitosan-derivatives obtained by different synthetic paths in applications as antimicrobial agents.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.