On the possibility of regulating the rate of enzymatic destruction of chitosan in an acetic acid solution

Abstract

The enzymatic destruction of chitosan in an acetic acid solution in the presence of sodium chloride and sulfate was considered. It was shown that the addition of these low-molecular electrolytes is accompanied by a tightening of the macromolecular coil, as indicated by a decrease in the α constant in the Mark–Kuhn–Houwink equation and the intrinsic viscosity of chitosan. As a consequence, the chitosan units become less accessible for interaction with the enzyme, and the kinetic parameters of the process (Michaelis constant K_M and the maximum rate of enzymatic destruction V_max) change accordingly. This suggests that the resistance of this polymer to the enzyme action can be enhanced by introducing low-molecular electrolyte salts in the solution or film coating to suppress the polyelectrolyte swelling of chitosan.