Synthesis and Characterization of Amino Acid Modified Chitooligosaccharides

Amino acid modified chitooligosaccharides were synthesized by the new synthetic route. The chloroacetyl-chitooliogosaccharide intermediates were prepared under a mild condition via a reaction between chitooligosaccharide (COS) and chloroacetic anhydride. The intermediates were subsequently reacted with a variety of amino acids, e.g., glycine, aspartic acid, alanine, arginine, and serine, under a basic condition, yielding amino acid modified COS products. The degree of chloroacetylation was calculated based on new ¹H NMR absorption peaks at 3.80 and 3.94 ppm, corresponding to  NH CO CH₂ Cl and  O CO CH₂ Cl, respectively. The degrees of chloroacetylation determined were 0.40, 0.44, 0.62, and 0.93 when the mole ratios of chloroacetic anhydride to COS were 0.5, 1, 2, and 4, respectively. The chemical structures of the COS derivatives were also determined using ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The biological properties of the derivatives were evaluated. Cytotoxicity of the derivatives was assessed by a direct contact, using L929 cells. An MTT assay was a method of choice to evaluate the efficacy of the derivatives to enhance the proliferation of L929 cells.