Properties, chemistry, and applications of the bioactive polysaccharide curdlan.

Curdlan is a bacterial polysaccharide that has been of significant recent interest due to its interesting and valuable rheological properties and its inherent bioactivity. The simple (1→3)-β-glucan homopolymeric, unbranched structure of curdlan is conducive to enhanced solubility relative to many other abundant natural polysaccharides, thus, providing alternatives for processing the polymer into desired shapes and formulations. At the same time, this relatively good solubility enables chemical modification under mild conditions, leading to a growing body of literature on derivative chemistry, structure-property relationships, and the potential for regioselective modification. Structure, properties, biosynthesis, modification chemistries, and key applications are the foci for this review of the curdlan literature.