Flow Cytometry Detection of Bacterial Cell Entrapment within the Chitosan Hydrogel and Antibacterial Property of Extracted Chitosan

Background :   Chitosan is unbranched polysaccharide composed of D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Chitosan, derived from shrimp shell, has broad antimicrobial properties against Gram-negative, Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Methods :  Chitosan was extracted from shrimp shell and studied for cell entrapment and anti-bacterial properties. The hydrogel chitosan was used as the beads for cell entrapment and chitosan beads were designed to deliver cells and nutrients. These data confirmed with flow cytometric analyses. Results :  Experimental results exhibited that internal diffusion through the chitosan matrix was the main mechanism for whole gelation by TPP (Tri-polyphosphate). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for chitosan against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was 16 and 32 μg/ml respectively. Conclusion :  Despite the antimicrobial properties of chitosan, trapped bacteria in the gel network were alive and were chelated indicating that their access to the outside was limited.