Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of a water-soluble chitosan derivative with a fiber-reactive group.

A novel fiber-reactive chitosan derivative was synthesized in two steps from a chitosan of low molecular weight and low degree of acetylation. First, a water-soluble chitosan derivative, N-[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl]chitosan chloride (HTCC), was prepared by introducing quaternary ammonium salt groups on the amino groups of chitosan. This derivative was further modified by introducing functional (acrylamidomethyl) groups, which can form covalent bonds with cellulose under alkaline conditions, on the primary alcohol groups (C-6) of the chitosan backbone. The fiber-reactive chitosan derivative, O-acrylamidomethyl-HTCC (NMA-HTCC), showed complete bacterial reduction within 20 min at the concentration of 10ppm, when contacted with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (1.5-2.5 x 10(5) colony forming units per milliliter [CFU/mL]).