Anticancer and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Chitin and Chitosan Oligosaccharides

Previous reports indicate that N-acetyl-D-glucosamine oligomers (chitin oligosaccharide; NACOS) and D-glucosamine oligomers (chitosan oligosaccharide; COS) have various biological activities, especially against cancer and inflammation. In this review, we have summarized the findings of previous investigations that have focused on anticancer or anti-inflammatory properties of NACOS and COS. Moreover, we have introduced recent evaluation of NACOS and COS as functional foods against cancer and inflammatory disease.