Good intestinal function is a prerequisite for good health. The intestinal tract is an important digestive organ and absorption organ of the human body, and its functional integrity or not directly affect human health. The imbalance of gastrointestinal flora, where beneficial bacteria are at a disadvantage and pathogenic bacteria are dominant, can easily cause constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and other symptoms. So people are interested in nutrients that support both intestinal and immune health. Prebiotics are the "nutrient of choice" among many other products.
Understanding Chitosan Oligosaccharide
Chitosan Oligosaccharide (COS) is widely found in the exoskeletons of crustacean marine organisms such as shrimps and crabs and is a rich natural resource. It is a class of oligosaccharides produced from chitin and chitosan by methods such as enzymatic or chemical degradation and consists of N-acetylglucosamine linked by β-1,4 glycosidic bonds with 2-10 degrees of polymerization.
As a functional marine prebiotic, COS is an upgraded product of chitin and chitosan products. It has the advantages of low molecular weight, good water solubility, large functional role, easy to be absorbed by the human body, and high biological activity. At the same time, it has the characteristics of pure nature, no radiation, no pollution, and no additives.
Numerous studies have shown that COS has the effect of regulating intestinal flora, inhibiting pathogenic bacteria, and promoting the growth of probiotics such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. In addition to this, COS has a variety of effects such as enhancing immunity, detoxifying alcohol and liver protection, lowering uric acid, lowering blood sugar, etc. It is widely used in general food and functional food.
Application Prospect of Chitosan Oligosaccharide in Food
- Good water solubility and high absorption rate in the human body (water solubility is more than 99%, and the absorption rate in the human body reaches 99.88%).
- Low effective intake (the effective daily dose is 0.3-0.7 grams).
- Difficult to be decomposed by the human digestive enzyme system (all kinds of digestive enzyme collection can not decompose chitosan, its energy is almost zero, does not affect the blood glucose concentration as well as insulin concentration in the blood glucose, suitable for patients with high blood pressure, etc).
- Safe for the human body, with no toxic side effects.
- Excellent quality, light color, can be processed into capsules, tablets, oral liquid, punch, and other forms of products.
- It combines various functions such as improving gastrointestinal function, improving immunity, assisting in lowering blood sugar, regulating blood lipids, assisting in lowering blood pressure, and so on.
- Exclusive COS can be customized and developed for health food, special medical use formula food, dairy products, wine products, and other fields.
- Antiseptic alternative.
Effects of Chitosan Oligosaccharide
Chitosan oligosaccharide helps to regulate the balance of intestinal flora
Recent studies have found that COS can play a role in intestinal flora regulation by increasing the abundance of Mycobacterium avium, decreasing the abundance of Aspergillus and Actinomycetes, as well as decreasing the ratio of Mycobacterium chauvinii / Mycobacterium avium. At the genus level, COS promoted the production of beneficial Anabaena spp. and E. faecalis spp. while inhibiting pathogenic Klebsiella spp. and helping to restore intestinal flora balance.
Chitosan oligosaccharide contributes to liver protection
An in vivo study has confirmed that chitosan may play a direct role in liver protection. It was found that COS can induce hepatic phase II detoxification response by inhibiting hepatic CYP (CYP2C, 3A, and 4A) enzyme activity. The results indicate that COS can promote hepatic detoxification response by regulating drug-metabolizing enzyme activity and inhibiting pathological and physiological changes caused by chemical components, thus achieving liver protection.
Chitosan oligosaccharide helps to reduce uric acid level
COS not only has obvious effects on regulating the intestinal tract and protecting the liver, but its components can also effectively reduce uric acid. In a study on the uric acid-lowering effect of chitosan composite solid beverage on hyperuricemic mice, researchers found that the addition of chitosan to the beverage could reduce serum uric acid, creatinine, urea nitrogen, xanthine oxidase activity, alleviate liver and kidney injury, and regulate the expression of GLUT9, URAT1, and ABCG2 proteins in hyperuricemic mice. This study demonstrated that chitosan-containing beverages can play a role in lowering uric acid by reducing xanthine oxidase activity and promoting uric acid excretion.
Fig.1 COS treatment of HCT116 cells promoted cell mitosis, late apoptosis and S cell cycle arrest.
As a natural product from the ocean, chitosan oligosaccharide is gradually becoming a new favorite in the health field due to its excellent biological activity and wide range of health effects. With the deepening of research and technological progress, chitosan will be more widely used in the health industry to benefit more people. The future development prospect of chitosan oligosaccharide is worth looking forward to, and its powerful effects as a natural marine prebiotic will continue to be noticed and recognized.
Reference
- Chitosan Oligosaccharides with Degree of Polymerization 2-6 Induces Apoptosis in Human Colon Carcinoma HCT116 Cells. Chemico-Biological Interactions (2018).
