Synthesis of Carboxymethyl chitosans Derivatives

The polymers are inserted in several therapeutic systems due to their applications and biocompatibility.1 Chitosan is a hydrolyzed copolymer of chitin, easy to obtain, with applications in biomaterials, foods, drugs among others, but it carries the water solubility factor.1,2 Functionalized chitosan has improved properties due to its structural modification.3 In our research group (LaBSIMCO), reactions chitosan guanylation reactions have been carried out with the aim of conserving or enhancing the existing properties of chitosan, as well as increasing its range of solubility. In this work, O-carboxymethyl chitosan (O-CMQ) was hydrophobically modified with substituted thioureas, forming an amphipathic chitosan: O-carboxymethyl chitosan guanylated derivative (O-CMQG - Scheme 1). Structural elucidation of the O-CMQG derivatives was performed by spectroscopic techniques (IR-FT; 1H and 13C NMR). O-CMQG showed better solubility in water compared to chitosan. Assays for the evaluation of its cytotoxic potential, in vitro, are under evaluation.