The effect of chitosan obtained from dermestes ater pupa on skin cancer

Chitin is a polysaccharide-based biopolymer comprising β- (1 → 4) linked N- acetyl-D-glucosamine units. It is the most abundant polymer worldwide, after cellulose. Chitosan and its derivatives; thanks to anticancer, non-toxicity, biodegradability, antioxidant, biocompatibility, antimicrobial properties are widely used in the medical field. Dermestes ater is a species of insect that belongs to the Dermestidae family. Also known as the black larder beetle, these insects feed on the organic matter of animal origin. Melanoma, known as skin cancer, is a type of cancer with a high mortality rate, high multi-drug resistance, and a low survival rate. Herein, chitin was extracted from D. ater beetle pupa shell with certain amounts of acid and alkali treatment. Chitin samples were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and elemental analysis methods. After the characterization process, chitosan was obtained from the chitin structure. The obtained chitosan was also characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TGA, and elemental analysis methods. As a result of these characterizations, it was revealed that the obtained chitin and chitosan were similar to the data in the literature. In the present work, chitin and chitosan were isolated from Dermestes ater pupa, and detailed characterization was made. The effect of the obtained chitosan on cell lines A-375 and L929 on skin cancer and viability of healthy mouse fibroblast cells was examined.