Figure 1From: Pushing the science forward: chitosan nanoparticles and functional repair of CNS tissue after spinal cord injuryThe chemical composition of acetylated and deacetylated chitosan. The amine group of the deacetylated chitosan (on the right), squared in red, is produced by the removal of the acetyl group, -COCH3, from the acetylated chitosan (on the left) during the process of the deacetylation. Therefore, the amine group, squared in red, in the deacetylated chitosan can be protonated in the acidic environment.Back to article page