ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the toxicity of N-succinyl-chitosan (NSCS) to bovine hemoglobin (BHb) and human liver cells (HL-7702). METHODS: BHb was used as a research object and the toxic effect of NSCS was investigated by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and synchrotron spectroscopy under the simulative human physiological condition. At the same time, human HL-7702 cells was used as a research object and methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was employed to examine the cytotoxicity of NSCS. RESULTS: The results of UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and MTT showed that the toxicity of NSCS was weak, and substitution degree had little effect on it. The result of fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated that the intrinsic fluorescence of BHb was quenched by NSCS and the quenching effect slightly increased with the increase of substitution degree. The quenching mechanism was mainly dynamic quenching, and the major driving forces were hydrophobic and electrostatic force. CONCLUSION: The result of synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy reveals that NSCS has almost no influence on the conformation of BHb. The toxicity of NSCS to BHb and HL-7702 is weak.