Preparation, characterization and antimicrobial activity of 6-amino-6-deoxychitosan

6-Amino-6-deoxychitosans with molecular weights from 0.23 × 104 to 1.41 × 104 and degree of substitution from 0.85 to 0.96 were prepared via N-phthaloylation, tosylation, azidation, hydrazinolysis and reduction of azide groups. Their structures were characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and elemental analysis. The antimicrobial activities of 6-amino-6-deoxychitosans against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Aspergillus niger were investigated. The results showed that 6-amino-6-deoxychitosans had a wide spectrum of effective antimicrobial activities. Compared with chitosan, 6-amino-6-deoxychitosans had much better antimicrobial activities. Their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were between 0.025% and 0.1% (w/v) in acetic/sodium acetate solution with different pH from 5.4 to 7.5. 6-Amino-6-deoxychitosans could also inhibit growth of bacteria tested in distilled water under pH 6.6–8.45. The antimicrobial mechanism was complex and the positive charge on the amino groups was not the sole factor resulting in the antimicrobial activities.