The History of Chito/Chitin Oligosaccharides and Its Monomer

Chitooligosaccharides and chitin oligosaccharides are collectively referred to as aminooligosaccharides. The monomer of chito/chitin oligosaccharides are N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and glucosamine, two of the few nitrogenous sugars in nature. Chito/chitin oligosaccharides are mainly produced by hydrolysis from natural aminopolysaccharides (chitosan and chitin), which are extracted from crab and shrimp shells resource. Chitin and chitosan are well known as natural polysaccharides with abundant biological activities. Similarly, chito/chitin oligosaccharides also have a number of commercial uses as their biological activities. This chapter summarizes the history and chemical-based topics like definition, origin, structure, molecular weight, classification of chitin, chitosan, chito/chitin oligosaccharides and their monomers (N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and glucosamine). Due to the broad research interests and market demands, the discovery and development of biological activities of chito/chitin oligosaccharides are summarized as argument.