Dispersible chitosan particles showing bacteriostatic effect against Streptococcus mutans and their dental polishing effect

Nontoxic and biodegradable chitosan is potentially useful in various applications. We prepared submicron chitosan particles with high dispersibility in aqueous solution utilizing the electrostatic interaction phase separation method described in a previous report, but using citric acid as the polyvalent anionic compound instead of sodium sulfate. The submicron chitosan particles showed significant antibacterial activity and anti-adhesive action against Streptococcus mutans, even at around neutral pH. However, chitosan granules showed no antibacterial activity under the same conditions. The addition of the chitosan particles to dental polishing paste provided stainless steel discs (the same hardness as dental enamel) with a smoother surface than polishing paste without additives. In view of their submicron size and antibacterial activity, chitosan particles could potentially be multifunctional components of oral and dental cleaning materials. Dispersible chitosan particles (DCPs) −1.0; 1.0 equivalents of citric acid carboxy groups relative to chitosan amino groups.无毒可降解的壳聚糖在诸多领域具备潜在应用价值。本研究采用前期报道的静电相互作用相分离法，以柠檬酸作为多价阴离子化合物替代硫酸钠，制备出在水溶液中分散性能优异的亚微米级壳聚糖颗粒。该亚微米壳聚糖颗粒即便在接近中性pH条件下，对变形链球菌（Streptococcus mutans）仍表现出显著的抗菌活性与抗粘附作用。然而，同等实验条件下的壳聚糖粒料并未展现出抗菌活性。将该亚微米壳聚糖颗粒添加至牙科抛光膏中后，可使与牙釉质硬度相当的不锈钢圆盘获得比未添加添加剂的抛光膏更光滑的表面。鉴于其亚微米尺寸与抗菌活性，该壳聚糖颗粒有望成为口腔与牙科清洁材料的多功能组分。可分散壳聚糖颗粒（Dispersible Chitosan Particles, DCPs）：柠檬酸羧基与壳聚糖氨基的当量比值为1.0与−1.0