Files
Abstract
The lack of solubility of the chitosan in organic solvents hinders its potential for chemical modifications. For this reason, it was hypothesized that the insertion of the phenyl carbamoylated guanidine moiety could lead to increased solubility in DMSO and new potential modifications and uses.
This research involved the synthesis of S-methyl phenyl carbamoylated guanidine (SMPCG) starting from the commercially available S-methyl isothiourea. This was followed by the reaction of the SMPCG with chitosan to yield phenyl carbamoylated guanidine functionalized chitosan (PCGCs) with a degree of substitution of 14%.
The chitosan derivative is fully soluble in DMSO and partially in DMF. This modified polymer will be used in future experiments in protein delivery, antimicrobial activity, and siRNA transfection. Future research is also planned to obtain PCGCs with different degrees of substitution.