The mucoadhesive properties of chitosan, if not modified, pose a huge advantage as the time to permeate and react increases, but also a threat, as these chemicals, if not biodegraded, might cause several issues, such as so promptly into the body. However, according to research conducted by Kean et al., chitosan is thought to be degraded in vertebrates predominantly by lysozyme and bacterial enzymes in the colon. According to Onishi et al. in 2009, lysozyme, in particular, has been found to degrade chitosan efficiently; 50% acetylated chitosan had 66% loss in viscosity after a 4 h incubation in vitro at pH 5.5 (0.1 M phosphate buffer, 0.2 M NaCl, 37 °C). This degradation appeared to be dependent on the degree of acetylation, with degradation of acetylated chitosan (more chitin-like) showing a faster rate. In general, chitinases in microorganisms hydrolyze N-acetyl-β-1,4-glucosaminide linkages randomly, i.e., endo-chitinases (EC 3.2.1.14). Moreover, both the rate and extent of chitosan biodegradability in living organisms are dependent on the degree of deacetylation (DD). According to Yang et al.'s research in 2007, increasing DD would decrease the degradation rate. The extent of degradation is related to the rate, as all the studies are conducted over a finite lifetime. Thus, from the results of these studies, it is likely that, given adequate time and appropriate conditions, the chitosans would degrade sufficiently for consequent excretion.