Hyaluronic Acid and Controlled Release: A Review

Abstract

Hyaluronic acid (HA) also known as hyaluronan, is a natural polysaccharide—an anionic, non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan—commonly found in our bodies. It occurs in the highest concentrations in the eyes and joints. Today HA is used during certain eye surgeries and in the treatment of dry eye disease. It is a remarkable natural lubricant that can be injected into the knee for patients with knee osteoarthritis. HA has also excellent gelling properties due to its capability to bind water very quickly. As such, it is one the most attractive controlled drug release matrices and as such, it is frequently used in various biomedical applications. Due to its reactivity, HA can be cross-linked or conjugated with assorted bio-macromolecules and it can effectively encapsulate several different types of drugs, even at nanoscale. Moreover, the physiological significance of the interactions between HA and its main membrane receptor, CD44 (a cell-surface glycoprotein that modulates cell–cell interactions, cell adhesion and migration), in pathological processes, e.g., cancer, is well recognized and this has resulted in an extensive amount of studies on cancer drug delivery and tumor targeting. HA acts as a therapeutic but also as a tunable matrix for drug release. Thus, this review focuses on controlled or sustained drug release systems assembled from HA and its derivatives. More specifically, recent advances in controlled release of proteins, antiseptics, antibiotics and cancer targeting drugs from HA and its derivatives were reviewed. It was shown that controlled release from HA has many benefits such as optimum drug concentration maintenance, enhanced therapeutic effects, improved efficiency of treatment with less drug, very low or insignificant toxicity and prolonged in vivo release rates.

Ball‐Bearing‐Inspired Polyampholyte‐Modified Microspheres as Bio‐Lubricants Attenuate Osteoarthritis

“…For early osteoarthritis, enhancing joint aqueous lubrication, supplemented with anti‐inflammatory drugs, can effectively alleviate the progression of osteoarthritis. [ 3,4 ] Ball bearing, one of the major rolling bearings, connecting two relatively moving machine parts in a manner that the friction resistance is minimal, has been widely used in manufacturing various industrial equipment. [ 5 ] A ball bearing is composed of two relative moving grooved tracks and slippery balls in the groove, of which the balls roll in the tracks, turning the sliding friction of the two tracks into negligible rolling friction, and thus reducing the wear of the tracks.…”

Hyaluronic Acid: The Influence of Molecular Weight on Structural, Physical, Physico-Chemical, and Degradable Properties of Biopolymer

“…Particular interest is aroused by the biological properties of materials based on hyaluronic acid. Still, for the development and technology of advanced wound healing [ 26 ], drug delivery systems with controlled release [ 27 ], and polymer scaffolds [ 28 ], knowledge of the molecular weight dependency on the abovementioned properties is necessary. Our paper is one of the first to collect brief data on the structure, viscosity, density, surface tension, cohesive/adhesive, hydrodynamic and degradable properties of hyaluronic acid.…”

Oral Gel Loaded by Fluconazole‒Sesame Oil Nanotransfersomes: Development, Optimization, and Assessment of Antifungal Activity

“…From Figure 9 , it can be demonstrated that the initial release rate of the drug from the HA-FS-NTF was retarded due to incomplete gel formation, but the release of fluconazole was gradual following complete hydration of the gel and remained at a steady state thereafter owing to pseudoplastic flow. Swelling of the polymer due to hydration led to a change in the physical and chemical parameters of the hydrogel configuration, to tune the porous structure uniformly [ 37 ]. The decreased release of fluconazole from the suspension and even from the gel might be due to a larger particle size or a less porous configuration, whereas the development of the nanotransfersome delivery facilitated the release of the drug from the semipermeable membrane owing to the smaller vesicle size and enhanced solubility.…”