Antioxidant properties of high molecular weight dietary chitosan in vitro and in vivo

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers Vol. 83; no. 2; pp. 501 - 505
• Main Authors: Anraku, Makoto, Fujii, Takeshi, Kondo, Yuko, Kojima, Eijiro, Hata, Toshiyuki, Tabuchi, Norihiko, Tsuchiya, Daiju, Goromaru, Takeshi, Tsutsumi, Hiroyuki, Kadowaki, Daisuke, Maruyama, Toru, Otagiri, Masaki, Tomida, Hisao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: albumins; Antioxidant; antioxidant activity; Applied sciences; Binding; binding capacity; Biological and medical sciences; chitin; Chitosan; Exact sciences and technology; free radicals; gastrointestinal system; General and cellular metabolism. Vitamins; high density lipoprotein cholesterol; Human serum albumin; humans; in vitro studies; low density lipoprotein cholesterol; Medical sciences; metabolic syndrome; molecular weight; Natural polymers; Oxidative stress; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Physicochemistry of polymers; polymers; Starch and polysaccharides; sulfates; toxins; volunteers; Binding; Human serum albumin; Oxidative stress; Chitosan; Antioxidant; Human; DPPH; Cholesterolemia; Experimental study; Biological activity; In vivo; Body mass index; Radical trapping; Scavenging efficiency; Oside polymer; Blood pressure; Glycemia; Food supplement
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2010.08.009

The effect of high molecular weight chitosan supplement (HMCS), a natural polymer derived from chitin, on indices of oxidative stress was investigated in normal volunteers. The use of HMCS for 8 weeks resulted in a significant decrease in total cholesterol levels and atherogenic index, and increased levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. HMCS treatment also resulted in a lowered ratio of oxidized to reduced albumin and an increase in total plasma antioxidant activity. A good correlation between the atherogenic index and oxidized albumin ratio was found. The results suggest that the ratio of oxidized to reduced albumin ratio represents a potentially useful marker of the metabolic syndrome. In in vitro studies, HMCS slightly reduced the levels of two stable radicals in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The strong binding capacity of indoxyl sulfate and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was also observed with HMCS. These results suggest that HMCS reduces significant levels of pro-oxidants such as cholesterol and uremic toxins in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby inhibiting the subsequent development of oxidative stress in the systemic circulation in humans.