Chitins oxychitin

Dicarboxymethyl chitosan and 6-oxychitin sodium salt, applied to femoral surgical defects for 3 weeks produced a good histoarchitectural order in the newly formed bone tissue. The spongious trabecular architecture was restored in the defect site. The association of the chitin derivatives with the osteoblasts seemed to be the best biomaterial in terms of bone tissue recovery [128]. 

Muzzarelli et al. (2000) described a method for coating prosthetic articles with chitosan-oxychitin. Plates of titanium (Ti) and its alloys were plasma sprayed with hydroxyapatite and glass layers, and subsequently a chitosan coat was deposited on the plasma-sprayed layers using chitosan acetate. These layers were treated with 6-oxychitin to form a polyelectrolytic complex. This complex was optionally contacted with l-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylami-nopropyl) carbodiimide at 4°C for 2 hours to form amide links between the two polysaccharides, or acetylation with acetic anhydride in methanol to obtain a chitin film. In all cases, the modified coats were insoluble, uniformly flat, and smooth. Prosthetic materials coated with chitosan-oxychitin were capable of provoking colonization by cells, osteogenesis, and osteointegration. 

MuzzareUi, RAA., MuzzareUi, C., Cosani, A., Terbojevich, M. 1999. 6-Oxychitins, novel hyaluronan-like polysaccharides obtained by regioselective oxidation of chitins. Carbohydrate Polymers 39 361-367. 

---