Volpi Nicola, Schiller Juergen, Stern Robert, Soltés Ladislav
Department of Biologia Animale, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213/d, I-41100 Modena, Italy.
Curr Med Chem. 2009;16(14):1718-45. doi: 10.2174/092986709788186138.
Hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid, HA) is a linear naturally occurring polysaccharide formed from repeating disaccharide units of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and D-glucuronate. Despite its relatively simple structure, HA is an extraordinarily versatile glycosaminoglycan currently receiving attention across a wide front of research areas. It has a very high molar mass, usually in the order of millions of Daltons, and possesses interesting visco-elastic properties based on its polymeric and polyelectrolyte characteristics. HA is omnipresent in the human body and in other vertebrates, occurring in almost all biological fluids and tissues, although the highest amounts of HA are found in the extracellular matrix of soft connective tissues. HA is involved in several key processes, including cell signaling, wound repair and regeneration, morphogenesis, matrix organization and pathobiology. Clinically, it is used as a diagnostic marker for many disease states including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, liver pathologies, and as an early marker for impending rejection following organ transplantation. It is also used for supplementation of impaired synovial fluid in arthritic patients, following cataract surgery, as a filler in cosmetic and soft tissue surgery, as a device in several surgical procedures, particularly as an anti-adhesive following abdominal procedures, and also in tissue engineering. This review will provide an overview of the structure and physiological role of HA, as well as of its biomedical and industrial applications. Recent advances in biotechnological approaches for the preparation of HA-based materials, and as a component of tissue scaffolding for artificial organs will also be presented.
透明质酸（又称玻尿酸，HA）是一种线性天然多糖，由N - 乙酰 - D - 葡萄糖胺和D - 葡萄糖醛酸的重复二糖单元组成。尽管其结构相对简单，但HA是一种用途极为广泛的糖胺聚糖，目前在众多研究领域受到关注。它具有非常高的摩尔质量，通常在数百万道尔顿量级，并且基于其聚合物和聚电解质特性具有有趣的粘弹性。HA在人体和其他脊椎动物中无处不在，几乎存在于所有生物流体和组织中，不过在软结缔组织的细胞外基质中含量最高。HA参与多个关键过程，包括细胞信号传导、伤口修复与再生、形态发生、基质组织和病理生物学。临床上，它被用作多种疾病状态的诊断标志物，包括癌症、类风湿性关节炎、肝脏疾病，也是器官移植后即将发生排斥反应的早期标志物。它还用于补充关节炎患者受损的滑液，白内障手术后使用，作为美容和软组织手术中的填充剂，作为多种外科手术中的器械，特别是腹部手术后的抗粘连剂，以及用于组织工程。本综述将概述HA的结构和生理作用，以及其生物医学和工业应用。还将介绍基于HA的材料制备以及作为人工器官组织支架组件的生物技术方法的最新进展。
