Chitooligosaccharides (CHOS) are homo- or heterooligomers of
N-acetylglucosamine and D-glucosamine. CHOS can be produced using chitin or chitosan
as a starting material, using enzymatic conversions, chemical methods or combinations
thereof. Production of well-defined CHOS-mixtures, or even pure CHOS, is of great
interest since these oligosaccharides are thought to have several interesting bioactivities.
Understanding the mechanisms underlying these bioactivities is of major importance.
However, so far in-depth knowledge on the mode-of-action of CHOS is scarce, one major
reason being that most published studies are done with badly characterized heterogeneous
mixtures of CHOS. Production of CHOS that are well-defined in terms of length, degree of
N-acetylation, and sequence is not straightforward. Here we provide an overview of
techniques that may be used to produce and characterize reasonably well-defined CHOS
fractions. We also present possible medical applications of CHOS, including tumor growth
inhibition and inhibition of TH2-induced inflammation in asthma, as well as use as a
bone-strengthener in osteoporosis, a vector for gene delivery, an antibacterial agent, an
antifungal agent, an anti-malaria agent, or a hemostatic agent in wound-dressings. By using
well-defined CHOS-mixtures it will become possible to obtain a better understanding of
the mechanisms underlying these bioactivities.
OPEN ACCESSMar. Drugs 2010, 8 1483
Keywords: chitooligosaccharide (CHOS); chitinase; chitosanase; ch