Chitosan - Medical applications
The main medical applications are:
① to promote blood coagulation and wound healing. Chitosan can promote blood coagulation and can be used as a hemostatic agent. It can also be used for wound filler material, with sterilization, promote wound healing, absorption of wound exudate, not easy to dehydration and contraction, etc.
② as a sustained-release matrix for drugs. Chitosan can be degraded by lysozyme in organisms to produce natural metabolites, which is non-toxic and can be completely absorbed by organisms, so it has great advantages as a drug sustained release agent. Chitosan - based sustained-release drugs are already available in Japan.
③ for artificial tissues and organs. The composite of chitosan and calcium phosphate can be used as bone substitute for bone repair and tooth filling. Composite materials of chitosan derivatives and polyester can be used as artificial blood vessels. Abewidra has developed a new material for treating burns, ulcers and skin infections, called "artificial skin," which acts like natural skin, not only protecting wounds from bacterial infection, but also allowing air and water to permeate through wounds to facilitate healing. Chitosan and chitin can be mixed to make high strength filamentous fibers, used as surgical thread. This kind of surgical thread can be degraded by lysozyme in the organism, and can be fully absorbed by the body without dismantling the wound after healing, and will not produce allergic reaction.
④ It has immunomodulatory activity. Chitosan can activate and mediate a series of biological effects in the body system, and improve the systemic function of phagocytes. Macrophage surface of bacteria polysaccharides receptor, and chitosan as analogues of bacterial polysaccharide, can stimulate macrophage activation, to produce the following response: promote the phagocytosis function, enhance its synergistic effect in other immune response, so as to realize the body of T cell, NK cells and B cells, the regulation of mediated the cellular immune response and the humoral immune response. Therefore, chitosan has immunomodulatory effect on the body.
⑤ Other medical uses. Chitosan gel can be used as a carrier of dental antibiotics, which has the functions of hemostasis, anti-inflammation and wound healing. It can reduce the cholesterol concentration in serum and liver and is used as a cholesterol-lowering agent. Chitosan can strengthen liver function, prevent liver hangover caused by excessive drinking, and has the effect of adsorption and excretion of heavy metals, toxins, pesticides, chemical pigments remaining in the body. When cancer patients take chitosan, it activates immune cells in the body, enabling them to distinguish between normal cells and cancer cells and kill cancer cells. Chitosan can adjust the pH value of the body to weak alkaline, improve the utilization rate of insulin, is beneficial to the prevention and treatment of diabetes. In addition, it also has the function of regulating the endocrine system, making insulin secretion normal, inhibiting the rise of blood sugar and lowering blood lipids.