Viola Manuela, Vigetti Davide, Karousou Evgenia, D'Angelo Maria Luisa, Caon Ilaria, Moretto Paola, De Luca Giancarlo, Passi Alberto
Department of Surgical and Morphological Sciences, University of Insubria, via J.H. Dunant 5, 21100, Varese, Italy.
Glycoconj J. 2015 May;32(3-4):93-103. doi: 10.1007/s10719-015-9586-6. Epub 2015 May 14.
The hyaluronan (HA) polymer is a critical component of extracellular matrix with a remarkable structure: is a linear and unbranched polymer without sulphate or phosphate groups. It is ubiquitous in mammals showing several biological functions, ranging from cell proliferation and migration to angiogenesis and inflammation. For its critical biological functions the amount of HA in tissues is carefully controlled by different mechanisms including covalent modification of the synthetic enzymes and epigenetic control of their gene expression. The concentration of HA is also critical in several pathologies including cancer, diabetes and inflammation. Beside these biological roles, the structural properties of HA allow it to take advantage of its capacity to form gels even at concentration of 1 % producing scaffolds with very promising applications in regenerative medicine as biocompatible material for advanced therapeutic uses. In this review we highlight the biological aspects of HA addressing the mechanisms controlling the HA content in tissues as well as its role in important human pathologies. In the second part of the review we highlight the different use of HA polymers in the modern biotechnology.
透明质酸（HA）聚合物是细胞外基质的关键成分，具有独特的结构：它是一种线性且无分支的聚合物，不含硫酸根或磷酸根。它在哺乳动物中广泛存在，具有多种生物学功能，从细胞增殖、迁移到血管生成和炎症反应。由于其关键的生物学功能，组织中HA的含量受到不同机制的严格控制，包括合成酶的共价修饰及其基因表达的表观遗传调控。HA的浓度在包括癌症、糖尿病和炎症在内的多种病理状态中也至关重要。除了这些生物学作用外，HA的结构特性使其即使在浓度为1%时也能利用其形成凝胶的能力，从而生产出在再生医学中具有非常广阔应用前景的支架，作为用于先进治疗用途的生物相容性材料。在本综述中，我们重点介绍了HA的生物学方面，阐述了控制组织中HA含量的机制及其在重要人类疾病中的作用。在综述的第二部分，我们重点介绍了HA聚合物在现代生物技术中的不同应用。
