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Chitosan in Biology, Microbiology, Medicine, and Agriculture

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Abstract—

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.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The 14th International Conference “Current Prospects in Chitin and Chitosan Research” was prepared with support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, grant no. 18-04-20055.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    V. P. Varlamov

  2. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    I. S. Mysyakina

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  1. V. P. Varlamov
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  2. I. S. Mysyakina
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Correspondence to V. P. Varlamov.

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Translated by D. Timchenko

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Varlamov, V.P., Mysyakina, I.S. Chitosan in Biology, Microbiology, Medicine, and Agriculture. Microbiology 87, 712–715 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261718050168

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261718050168

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