Chitooligosaccharides: Prevention and Control of Diseases

This book outlines the production of chitooligossacharides and their  derivatives and discusses their main biological activities, biomedical  applications and their role in disease prevention. Chitooligosaccharides  are products of chitosan or chitin degradation, prepared by enzymatic  or chemical hydrolysis of chitosan, and they consist mainly of N-acetyl  glucosamine and glucosamine bonded with a glycosidic bond. Compared to  chitin and chitosan, chitooligossacharides offer advantages for  large-scale and commercial applications due to their solubility in water  and lower molecular weight.
Written by leading experts, this book is  divided into four parts. The first part provides a general introduction  to chitooligossacharides. The second part focuses on the bioproduction  of chitooligossacharides through enzymatic synthesis and also covers  physical and chemical methods of synthesis. The third part explores the  major biological activities of chitooligosaccharides, including  antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory,  anti-cancer and neuroprotective activities, and discusses the disease  preventing mechanisms of chitooligosaccharides. In this section, readers  will also find about the latest in vivo studies which support the use  of chitooligosaccharides in the prevention and control of disease. The  final part highlights important biomedical applications of  chitooligosaccharides, including in tissue engineering, drug delivery  and wound healing applications. It also includes the volume editor’s  perspective on the health and safety risks of chitooligosaccharides.

Given  its scope, this book is useful not only for researches in the field but  also for students interested in biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, marine  biotechnology, nutraceuticals and food science.