Underscoring the immense potential of chitosan in fighting a wide spectrum of viruses: A plausible molecule against SARS-CoV-2?

Chitosan is a deacetylated polycationic polysaccharide derived from chitin. It is structurally constituted of N- acetyl-D-glucosamine and S-(1-4)-linked D-glucosamine where acetyl groups are randomly distributed across the polymer. The parameters of deacetylation and depolymerization process greatly influence various physicochemical properties of chitosan and thus, offer a great degree of manipulation to synthesize chitosan of interest for various industrial and biomedical applications. Chitosan and its various derivatives have been a potential molecule of investigation in the area of anti-microbials especially anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and antiviral. The current review predominantly highlights and discusses about the antiviral activities of chitosan and its various substituted derivatives against a wide spectrum of human, animal, plants and bacteriophage viruses. The extrinsic and intrinsic factors that affect antiviral efficacy of chitosan have also been talked about. With the rapid unfolding of COVID-19 pandemic across the globe, we look for chitosan as a plausible potent antiviral molecule for fighting this disease. Through this review, we present enough literature data supporting role of chitosan against different strains of SARS viruses and also chitosan targeting CD147 receptors, a novel route for invasion of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells. We speculate the possibility of using chitosan as potential molecule against SARS-CoV-2 virus. (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

Chitosan, a deacetylated polycationic polysaccharide derived from chitin, possesses antimicrobial properties and can be used in various industrial and medical applications. Chitosan and its derivatives exhibit antiviral activities against a wide spectrum of viruses, including human, animal, and plant viruses. Research suggests the potential of chitosan as a molecule to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus.