Shrimp shell nanotech for wound healing

Nanoparticles containing chitosan have been shown to have effective antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Escherichia coli. The materials could be used as a protective wound-healing material to avoid opportunistic infection as well as facilitate wound healing. Chitosan is a natural, non-toxic and biodegradable, polysaccharide readily obtained from chitin, the main component of the shells of shrimp, lobster and the beaks of the octopus and squid. Now, Mihaela Leonida of Fairleigh Dickinson University and colleagues writing in the International Journal of Nano and Biomaterials describe how they have prepared nanoparticles of chitosan that could have potential in preventing infection in wounds as well as enhancing the wound-healing process itself by stimulating skin cell growth. The team made their chitosan nanoparticles using an ionic gelation process with sodium tripolyphosphate. This process precludes the need for complex preparative chemistry or toxic solvents.