Immunomodulating Effect of Chitosan Extracted from Aspergillus niger

This study was conducted to extract chitosan from Aspergillus niger mycelia using hot alkaline followed by acid treatment and after 12 days of fermentation in sabouro dextrose broth containing 8% glucose, 1.246 g/L of chitosan was obtained. Five male albino Swiss mice were injected intraperitoneally with constant dose of chitosan (1 mg/mL) twice during two weeks and then blood picture, microscopic examination and double diffusion test were carried out. Chitosan was reported to increase the number of cells which were 530, 250 and 1237%, for Lymphocyte, Granulocytes and monocyte respectively when compared with control group. Also mice organs were crossly examined and they showed hypertrophy of liver and spleen, while microscopic examination reveled that spleen diffuse hyperplasia and infiltrate of mononuclear cells and megakaryocte. Moreover no antibody was detected in the serum of treated animals against chitosan.