The toxicity of chitin from various sources and with varying degrees of acetylation to cells was tested. Mouse fibroblast cells were selected because mice are model organisms for research. Fibroblasts were chosen because they are a type of connective tissue cell that has a large role in tissue repair. Chitin was extracted from cicada shells through deproteinization, demineralization, and bleaching that converts chitin to chitosan. Cicada exoskeletons were chosen because they are inexpensive, abundant, and readily available. Different sources of chitin were applied to the cells to test for cellular damage. For data collection, a cell counting kit was used to quantify the number of cells that survived the chitin treatments. Different chitin sources and degrees of deacetylation did not have toxic effects on the model fibroblast cells.

Cytotoxicity of chitin from diverse sources

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.