Search results for "Chitin nanofibril"
showing 2 items of 2 documents
Chitin: A Structural Biopolysaccharide
2009
Chitin is a naturally occurring fibre-forming polymer that plays a protective role in many lower eukaryotes similar to that of cellulose in plants. Chemically it is a long-chain unbranched polysaccharide made of N-acetylglucosamine residues; it is the second most abundant organic compound in nature, after cellulose. Taking into account the structural role played by chitin, its metabolism (synthesis and degradation) is essential for different morphogenetic events. Absent in vertebrates and plants, chitin represents a parasite-specific target for chemotherapeutic attack and also plays a role in host immune responses. Because of its abundance in nature and its properties, biotechnological appl…
Chitin: A Structural Biopolysaccharide with Multiple Applications
2014
Chitin is a naturally occurring fibre-forming polymer that plays a protective role in many lower eukaryotes similar to that of cellulose in plants. Chemically it is a long-chain unbranched polysaccharide made of N-acetylglucosamine residues linked through β-1,4 covalent bonds; it is the second most abundant organic compound in nature, after cellulose. Taking into account the role played by chitin in different biological structures (i.e. fungal cell walls, insect peritrophic matrix, insect and crustacean cuticles, eggshells from nematodes, cyst wall of protozoa), its metabolism (biosynthesis and degradation) is essential for different morphogenetic events. Absent in vertebrates and plants, c…