Chitosan in Biology, Microbiology, Medicine, and Agriculture

Resumo

The mini-review deals with the recent developments in investigation and application of chitosan and its derivatives within a broad range of human activities. A short historical note on discovery of chitin and chitosan is provided. Special attention is paid to chitosan occurrence and structure, as well as to antimicrobial properties of this biopolymer and their dependence upon the physicochemical characteristics of chitosan: its molecular mass and deacetylation degree, and the conditions of derivative formation. The possible mechanisms of chitosan biological activity are briefly considered.