Antimutagenicity, antibacteria, and water holding capacity of chitosan from Luffa aegyptiaca Mill and Cucumis sativus L.

The objective of this study was to separate the chitosan (deacetylated products) in the peel and the flesh of loofah (Luffa aegyptiaca) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus) to evaluate its water holding capacity, antibacterial and antimutagenicity activities. The levels of glucosamine (degree of deacetylation; DD) in ultrapure deacetylated (UD) chitosan product of loofah and cucumber were much higher than other deacetylated chitosan products. Also, UD chitosan products of loofah and cucumber showed better water absorption and moisture holding capacity. All the deacetylated chitosan products effectively suppress the survival of Staphylococcus aureus and Propionibacterium acnes in a dose-depended manner. Furthermore, UD chitosan products of loofah and cucumber effectively reduced the mutagenicity on various strains of Salmonella typhimurium namely TA100 and TA102. Hence, UD chitosan products of loofah and cucumber might be used to improve skin tone as well as prescribed with a standard chemotherapeutic agent as an adjuvant therapy. Practical applications: Luffa aegyptiaca Mill (loofah) and Cucumis sativus L. (cucumber) are common summer vegetables in Asia, especially in Taiwan, India, and China. Recently, the chitosan (deacetylated chitin) present in the fresh loofah (Luffa) and cucumber attracted more researchers owing to its high biodegradability, nontoxicity, and several other biological properties like antiobesity, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities. Also, this study shows that loofah and cucumber (UD fraction) are the richest sources for chitosan a vegan source with dermal protective, antibacterial, and antimutagenicity activities. Hence, UD chitosan products of loofah and cucumber may be recommended with other skin protective agents and cancer condition with the standard drug, since it acts as an antimutagenic agent.