Preparation of Chitin Nanofiber and Its Derivatives from Crab Shell and Their Efficient Biological Properties

Abstract

Chitin nanofibers were prepared from crab shell for the purpose of utilizing crab shells. After the series chemical treatment and wet pulverization treatment, a uniform fibrous substance having a width of about 10 nm was obtained. The reason why fine fibrous chitin can be obtained is the structure of the crab shell. A characteristic of chitin nanofibers is their high dispersibility in water. Therefore, processing ability is improved, and biological properties of the nanofibers can be evaluated. Chitin nanofibers whose surface is modified to chitosan can be obtained after treatment with a relatively medium concentration of sodium hydroxide. Since chitosan nanofibers have an amino group on the surface, they are positively charged in an acidic aqueous solution. Chitin and chitosan nanofibers have various physiological functions when taken or applied to the skin. Effects of oral ingestion of chitosan nanofibers on chronic kidney disease (CKD) model, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis model, and inflammatory bowel disease model were studied. Furthermore, the biological effects of chitin and chitosan nanofibers for the skin are also investigated.