MOLDED CHITINOUS ARTICLE FOR LIVING BODY

摘要

PURPOSE:A molded chitinous article with an ash content of a specific value or below, decomposable and absorbable in the body with time, and scarcely causing foreign body reaction on application to a living body. CONSTITUTION:A molded chitinous article with an ash content =2.0wt%, preferably =0.3wt%, and having biocompatibility. The chitin is a polysaccharide present in the external skeleton of crustaceans, e.g. a crab or lobster, or insects, and contains usually 3-10wt% ash. The ash content can be reduced by pulverizing the raw material chitin into a fine powder, treating the resultant powder with a weak acid, washing the powder with an alcohol, and treating the washed powder with dilute hydrochloric acid. The resultant powder is molded into fibers, films, etc. and used as surgical sutures, remedies for wounds, etc. The resultant molded article retains the strength for a given time and is absorbed in the living body by the enzymic decomposition.