Cytotoxic activity of aminoderivatized cationic chitosan derivatives

Chitosan derivatives were prepared by dialkylaminoalkylation and reductive amination followed by quaternization. In this study, the cytotoxic activity of the chitosan derivatives was investigated and a relationship between structure and activity is suggested. The cationic chitosan derivatives elicited dose-dependent inhibitory effects on the proliferation of tumor cell lines. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.