| 초록 |
Chitosan, a cationic polysaccharide, has been widely employed as dietary supplement, pharmacological and biomedical applications. Although numerous studies have focused on its applications as pharmaceutical excipients or bioactive reagents, molecular weight (MW) dependent pharmaceutical and bioactive properties remain unclear. As a preliminary study, we investigated the MW dependent in vitro and in vivo absorption phenomena of water soluble chitosans (WSCs). The absorption of chitosan was significantly influenced by its MW. As the MW increases, the absorption decreases. Compared to high MW chitosan (WSC 230K, MW = 230KD), absorption profiles were observed to increase more than 23 and 25 times with WSC 3.8K (MW = 3.8 KD) in both in vitro and in vivo transport experiments, respectively. Furthermore, the in vitro transport experiment showed the possibility of transcellular transport of the oligomeric chitosans (MW < 10 KD) through Caco-2 cell layer with a negligible cytotoxic effect. In consideration with safety and absorption profiles, oligomeric chitosans may be considered as safe and potential candidates for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. |
