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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Preparation of Chitosan-based Injectable Hydrogels and Its Application in 3D Cell Culture
Published on: September 29, 2017
Preparation of water soluble hydrochloric chitosan from low molecular weight chitosan in the solid state
Nguyen Cong Minh1, Van Hoa Nguyen2, Simona Schwarz3
1Institute of Biotechnology and Environment, Nha Trang University, Nha Trang, Vietnam.
Abstract:
In this study, low molecular weight chitosan salt (LMWC-HCl) highly soluble in water was prepared from low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC) in the solid state exposed to hydrogen chloride gas as a reagent. The effects of chitosan particle size, exposure conditions, reaction temperature and reaction time were investigated on the solubility and the molecular weight of obtained products. The formation of the chloride salt was observed after 3 h in a range of temperatures from 4 to 50 °C. The solubility of prepared LMWC-HCl was over 98% for all samples, much higher than that of the original LMWC. The average molecular weight of the LMWC-HCl was about 20-90 kDa with a quite narrow distribution and lower compared to the LMWC. LMWC-HCl and LMWC showed the same high antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This facile and efficient process for solubilization of LMWC has potential for industrial application of chitosan.
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