Chitin is formed by a series of glycosidic bonds between substituted glucose molecules. Chitin is different from cellulose because of the substitution that occurs on the glucose molecule. Instead of a hydroxyl group (OH), the glucose molecules in chitin have an amyl group attached that consists of carbon and nitrogen.
What is chitin made out of?
Chitin is the second most abundant biodegradable polymer produced in nature after cellulose. It is an acetylated polysaccharide composed of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine groups linked by β (1→4) linkages and exists as ordered crystalline microfibrils shown in Fig.
Do humans make chitin?
Mammals, including mice and humans, do not synthesize chitin but possess two active chitinases, chitotriosidase (Chit1) and acidic chitinase (hereafter referred to as “Chia”; alternative name: acidic mammalian chitinase, AMCase) in their genomes34,35.
