Antibacterial efficacy of natural compounds chitin and chitosan: a mechanistic disclosure

Abstract

Global studies focusing on natural antimicrobial agents have recently piqued the interest of researchers. Among identified antimicrobial agents, chitin and chitosan are of immense interest to the scientific community. Chitin is a significant component of crustacean and insect shells' fungi cell walls. It is an amino polysaccharide abundantly occurring in nature. Chitosan is a derivative of chitin that is produced by enzymatic or chemical deacetylation. Chitin and chitosan are now widely used in pharmaceuticals, food, and medicine. Antimicrobial properties were studied extensively; many researchers of various bacterial species have reported a reasonably high success rate. This finding is of immense importance during the current era because natural compounds are supposed to have fewer side effects than their chemical counterparts. The present chapter reviews the antimicrobial properties of chitin and chitosan against various bacterial species, as well as their applications.