Antioxidant activity of water-soluble chitosan derivatives

Water-soluble chitosan derivatives were prepared by graft copolymerization of maleic acid sodium onto hydroxypropyl chitosan and carboxymethyl chitosan sodium. Their scavenging activities against hydroxyl radical √OH were investigated by chemiluminescence technique. They exhibit IC50 values ranging from 246 to 498 μg/mL, which should be attributed to their different contents of hydroxyl and amino groups and different substituting groups.