Premium
Gel‐Like Structure of a Hexadecyl Derivative of Hyaluronic Acid for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis
Author(s) -
Finelli Ivana,
Chiessi Ester,
Galesso Devis,
Renier Davide,
Paradossi Gaio
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
macromolecular bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.924
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1616-5195
pISSN - 1616-5187
DOI - 10.1002/mabi.200900009
Subject(s) - hyaluronic acid , self healing hydrogels , viscoelasticity , chemistry , polysaccharide , polymer , polymer chemistry , glucuronic acid , side chain , raft , chemical engineering , materials science , organic chemistry , composite material , copolymer , genetics , engineering , biology
Abstract Hyaluronic acid is a polysaccharide with viscoelastic and mechanical properties that are crucial for the normal functioning of osteoarticular junctions. It is demonstrated that introduction of a hexadecyl side chain into HA yields an injectable polysaccharide capable of forming physical hydrogels, which are stable at very low polymer concentrations, whereas native hyaluronic acid forms viscous solutions at concentrations that are ten times higher. Characterization of this system showed that the driving force for its gel‐like behavior is the occurrence of hydrophobic interactions involving aliphatic side chains, despite the low degree of substitution, as confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations of HYADD4 and HA hydrogels.