Chitin Nanofibrils for Cosmetic Delivery

By: Pierfrancesco Morganti, PhD, University of Naples, Mavi Sud s.r.l. and China Medical University Shenyang

Posted: March 30, 2010, from the April 2010 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

Chitin is a natural sugar-like polysaccharide found in crab and shrimp shells that is formed by glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine linked in a glycoside structure (see Figure 1).^{1, 2} Its natural rod-like and positively charged alpha-nanocrystalline structure can be separated from the raw material chitin into a 240 nm x 5 nm x 7 nm nanofibrillar form. These nanocrystals exhibit an exceptionally high surface area, up to 400 m²/g, and demonstrate relevant biological significance because they are able to activate fibroblast proliferation and cytokine production, favoring giant cell migration, macrophage activation and neovascularization.

Due to their molecular conformation and chemical-physical activity, chitin nanofibrils (CN) are capable of establishing ionic bonds with water, similar to yaluronic acid (YA). In addition, they are capable of forming complexes with active ingredients for delivery to different sites in a controlled-release manner, depending on the vehicle selected.³

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