| abstract |
A method of producing and purifying poly-β-1→4-N-acetylglucosamine(p-GlcNAc)polysaccharide species and their derivatives is described. The polysaccharides produced by this method are free of proteins, and substantially free of single amino acids, and other organic and inorganic contaminants. These p-GlcNAc polysaccharides may be used commercially by the biomedical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries in slow drug delivery systems, cell encapsulation systems, and treatments for the prevention of post-surgical adhesions. The figure shows the chemical structure of 100 % p-GlcNAc, wherein 'n' is an integer from about 4,000 to about 150,000. |