Predicted influence of N-acetyl group content on the conformational extension of chitin and chitosan chains

Conformational analysis of chitosan molecules has been performed using the MM3(92) force field to investigate the role played by the acetamido groups on the stiffness of these chains. A high dielectric constant value was need ed to model an aqueous environment and to reproduce the distribution of the N-acetyl glucosamine group orientation that is observed by NMR. Disacchari dic fragments, differently substituted at C2, were selected as models for c hitin and chitosan chains. Their conformational space has been explored by means of adiabatic mapping of the glycosidic Phi,Psi torsion angles. Althou gh the overall features of all the potential energy surfaces created appear similar, the accessible conformational space of a glycosidic bond is affec ted by the nature of the substituent at C2 on the non-reducing residue of t he disaccharide unit. This is illustrated by the differences in the calcula ted partition functions together with the predicted average homonuclear and heteronuclear coupling constants. Computed maps were used to predict polym eric unperturbed dimensions, characteristic ratio and persistence length of idealized chitin and chitosan chains, by Monte Carlo methods. Pure chitosa n is predicted to be more coiled than pure chitin chains. At low N-acetyl g roup contents, chain extension appears to be dependent on the degree of sub stitution. Average chain dimensions increase monotonically for increases in content up to 60% of N-acetyl groups, but show no significant variation at higher contents. For molecules consisting of 50% amino and 50% N-acetylate d residues, random, alternate and block patterns of substitution have been investigated. It has also been shown that the spatial extension of the poly mer chains is dependent on the primary structure. Comparison with the liter ature experimental data is difficult because of the extreme diversity of th e reported conformationally dependent values. However, such study provides a unique insight into the dependence of these two factors (degree of acetyl ation and distribution of acetyl groups) on the stiffness and flexibility o f different chitin and chitosan chains.