Hyaluronic Acid: A Powerful Biomolecule with Wide-Ranging Applications—A Comprehensive Review
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan widely distributed in the human body, especially in body fluids and the extracellular matrix of tissues. It plays a crucial role not only in maintaining tissue hydration but also in cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and the inflamm...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-06-01
|
Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/12/10296 |
Summary: | Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan widely distributed in the human body, especially in body fluids and the extracellular matrix of tissues. It plays a crucial role not only in maintaining tissue hydration but also in cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and the inflammatory response. HA has demonstrated its efficacy as a powerful bioactive molecule not only for skin antiaging but also in atherosclerosis, cancer, and other pathological conditions. Due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and non-immunogenicity, several HA-based biomedical products have been developed. There is an increasing focus on optimizing HA production processes to achieve high-quality, efficient, and cost-effective products. This review discusses HA’s structure, properties, and production through microbial fermentation. Furthermore, it highlights the bioactive applications of HA in emerging sectors of biomedicine. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |