Why low molecular weight HA in wound healing?
Hyaluronic acid (HA), also called hyaluronan, is a natural anionic, non-sulphated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) that is distributed widely throughout the body. Structurally, HA is a linear polymer composed of repeating polymeric disaccharides units of D-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, and has the unique capacity to retain a large amount of water. In addition to its high hygroscopic nature, HA has a wide variety of functions and beneficial properties: in addition to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, viscoelastic, bacteriostatic and anti-oedematous properties, it is highly biocompatible and completely non-immunogenic(1). For these reasons, HA has a wide range of applications in medicine, including wound repair.