Abstract: Chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) is a low molecular weight polymer linked by 2~10 glucosamines via β-1,4 glycosidic linkages, which can be obtained by chemical or enzymatic degradation of chitin or chitosan. It has extensive research and application value in various fields such as medicine and agricultural production. COS is naturally non-toxic, low molecular weight, excellent water solubility, easy to absorb and has good biocompatibility. In addition, COS exhibits strong biological properties, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammation, immune-stimulation, anti-bacterial, improving glucose and lipid metabolism disorder, neuroprotection and so on. This paper summarized the preparation and characterization, biological function and application of COS, and discussed the existing problems and future research directions, in order to fully understand COS and provide reference for further research and development.

Key words: chitosan oligosaccharide, immunoregulation, glucose and lipid metabolism disorder, medicine, agricultural production

摘要： 壳寡糖为一种由2~10个氨基葡萄糖经β-1,4糖苷键连接而成的寡糖聚合物，可通过化学水解或酶降解几丁质或壳聚糖获得，在医学及农业生产等各个领域具有广泛的研究和应用价值。壳寡糖天然无毒，分子量相对较低，水溶性好，易于吸收，且具有良好的生物相容性。此外，壳寡糖也表现出了良好的生物学活性，包括抗肿瘤、抗炎、免疫调节、抗菌、改善糖脂代谢紊乱、保护神经损伤等。对壳寡糖的制备和表征、生物学功能及应用进展进行了综述，并对壳寡糖产业目前存在的问题及未来的研究方向进行了讨论，以期为壳寡糖的深度开发提供依据。

关键词: 壳寡糖, 免疫调节, 糖脂代谢紊乱, 医学, 农业生产