Optimization Of Production Process Of Chondroitin Sulfate

Chondroitin Sulfate (CS), a kind of glycosaminoglycan (GAG), mainly exists in animal cartilage tissues such as laryngeal cartilage, nasal bone and trachea. CS has various bioactivities and are widely used for treating Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), atherosclerosis, arthritis, etc. It has extensive application potentials as an important natural biochemicals in China.In this work, we engaged in improving CS preparation from gular cartilage of pig by evaluation of its yield and purity (hexosamine content) on the basis of the present procedure of a pharmaceutical company in Jiangsu Province. Alkali extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis are the critical steps in CS extraction. Therefore, single factor experiments and response surface analysis were employed to optimize the conditions of alkali extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis to improve the yield and purity of CS. We hope to decrease the production cost, reduce environmental pollution and increase the profit of the company through the efforts of this process optimization.The results showed that the optimized alkali extraction conditions were the CS extraction with NaOH concentration of 10% and solid-liquid ratio of 1:10 at 40℃for 3.9 h. The NaOH concentration was the most significant factor for the yield of CS. For trypsinase hydrolysis, it worked best with enzyme concentration of 1.0% under pH 6.5 at 46℃for 2.8 h. The pH value affected the purity of CS most among all the parameters. Moreover, the neutral protease hydrolysis showed the best results with enzyme working with enzyme concentration of 1.2% under pH 7.0 at 43.5℃for 1.9 h, and the hydrolysis temperature was the most important factor for CS purity. Afterwards, scale-up experiment with the optimal process was performed. The yield of 17.87% and the purity of 26.72% were obtained, both of which were improved as compared to the original process. Moreover, the product quality meets the requirement of pharmacopoeia.