Structure-property relationships in phenolic acid-chitosan complexes: From molecular interactions to multifunctional bioactivities.

Authors

Heng Chen, Tingyuan Tan, Zhanpeng Zhang, Xuan Xuan, Jiajin Huang, Jieyi Qiu, Qian Feng, Xiao Duan, Yongsheng Yu

Published in

International journal of biological macromolecules. Pages 154016. Aug 14, 2026. Epub Aug 14, 2026.

Abstract

Phenolic acid-chitosan complexes combine the antioxidant capacity of phenolic acids with the antibacterial activity of chitosan; however, their study has received limited attention due to challenges in synthesis. In this work, a selection of phenolic acids-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (HA), protocatechuic acid (PA), vanillic acid (VA), and ferulic acid (FA)-were complexed with chitosan in aqueous medium under thermal treatment. Elevated temperature markedly improved the solubility of phenolic acids, thereby enhancing complexation efficiency. XPS N 1 s analysis revealed that the balance between Free-NH₂ and ionic -NH₃⁺ is influenced by phenolic acid structure: phenolic hydroxyl groups promote ionic bonding, whereas methoxy groups hinder effective interaction due to hydrophobicity and steric bulk. This molecular-level programming translates into distinct macroscopic properties. The thermal stability and surface wettability of the complexes correlate with the ionic -NH₃⁺ content, while emulsifying performance, antioxidant capacity, antibacterial activity, and cytotoxicity are primarily governed by the intrinsic structural features of the phenolic acid ligands-such as the number of hydroxyl groups, the presence of methoxy substituents, and conjugated side chains. At concentrations relevant to antibacterial application (1.25-2.5 mg/mL), all complexes maintained >75% cell viability, indicating acceptable biocompatibility within the intended concentration range. These findings suggest a structure-property relationship in which phenolic acid substituents influence the interaction mode with chitosan and thereby affect the resulting physicochemical and biological properties. The thermal-assisted synthesis offers a simple, catalyst-free route to these multifunctional complexes, positioning them as promising candidates for applications in food preservation and related fields.

PMID:
42600816
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Aug 2026.

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