Bradyporus sp. (Orthoptera, Insecta) chitin and chitosan film production and investigation of their cytotoxicity on human cell line (HEK293)

Chitin, a polysaccharide composed of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine components (poly (β-(1->4)-N-acetyl-D-glucoseamine)), is the second most abundant biopolymer in the world. It is reported that this important biopolymer is found in nature mainly in invertebrates, arthropods, insects, algae, fungi and eukaryotic yeasts. Although the most common sources of chitin in nature are indicated as shellfish and aquatic invertebrates. The deacetylated derivatives of chitin are chitosan. In this study, Chitin and chitosan were isolated from Bradyporus sp. (Orthoptera, Insecta). The obtained chitosan 3D film structure was characterized by FTIR, TGA, XRD, SEM, elemental analysis without deteriorating. MTT test was performed to determine the cytotoxic effects of chitosan. Chitosan administered at optimal and overdose intervals was applied to HEK293 cells for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Chitosan FTIR spectra showed characteristic bands in the frequency range between 4000 and 400 cm-1. DTGmax value of chitosan was determined as 297.5 °C from TGA/DTG analysis. Two maximum peaks were obtained in XRD analysis (2θ=10.9, 2θ=19.6). After SEM analysis, porous and microfibrillar structure was observed at high magnification power. While no sulfur was detected in elemental analysis, ~41.10% carbon, ~7.46% nitrogen and ~6.67% hydrogen were detected. In the MTT cytotoxicity test, the IC50 dose of chitosan was 1427 µM at 24 hours, 808.9 µM at 48 hours, and 611.6 µM at 72 hours. Characterized by their chitosan structure, this plump grasshopper species can be used as a potential source of chitin and chitosan for various technological and industrial purposes.