Hyaluronic acid (HA), a macropolysaccharidic component of the extracellular matrix, is common to most species and it is found in many sites of the human body, including skin and soft tissue. Not only does HA play a variety of roles in physiologic and in pathologic events, but it also has been extensively employed in cosmetic and skin-care products as drug delivery agent or for several biomedica...

An old Indian legend tells a story about six blind men who touched an elephant. The first man who touched his leg said: " it is a pillar. " The second man who touched the tail said: " it is a rope. " The third man who touched the trunk of the elephant said: " it is a thick branch of a tree. " The fourth man who touched the ear said: " It is a big hand fan. " The fifth man who touched the belly ...

The tumor cell-derived hyaluronidase (HAase) HYAL-1 degrades hyaluronic acid (HA) into proangiogenic fragments that support tumor progression. Although HYAL-1 is a critical determinant of tumor progression and a marker for cancer diagnosis and metastasis prediction, it has not been evaluated as a target for cancer therapy. Similarly, sulfated hyaluronic acid (sHA) has not been evaluated for bio...

Previous publications from this laboratory have reported the use of a strain of group A hemolytic streptococcus for the study of the biosynthesis of the mucopolysaccharide, hyaluronic acid (HA) (1, 2). Methods were devised for the isolation of HA of high purity and the isolation and degradation of fragments of the molecule. Glucose-l-C4 and glucose-6-C4 were used to demonstrate that both the gl...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate effectiveness of intra-articular injection of synovium-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs) and hyaluronic acid (HA) for the treatment of articular cartilage defects in a canine model. Methods: Forty-eight knees of 24 beagle dogs were randomly assigned to 16 groups (n=3) according to both the number of injected SMSCs (0.5×105 cells, 5×106 c...

The release of endogenous molecules from the skin after injury has been proposed to influence inflammation. Recent studies have found that pro-inflammatory signals can be generated by damaged endogenous self-RNA, and this event is detected by TLR3. Conversely, release of endogenous fragments of hyaluronic acid (HA) after injury has been proposed to inhibit LPS induced inflammation driven by TLR...

Background: Hyaluronidase can be employed to manage a variety of complications associated with cosmetic hyaluronic acid (HA) filler injection. However, the indications and treatment protocol for hyaluronidase use have not been well established. Objective: Review of the available literature to describe the use of hyaluronidase in the reversal of HA filler injection. Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE datab...

A combination of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and scaffolds seems to be a promising approach for meniscus repair. To facilitate the search for an appropriate scaffold material a reliable and objective in vitro testing system is essential. This paper introduces a new scoring for this purpose and analyzes a hyaluronic acid (HA) gelatin composite scaffold and a polyurethane scaffold in combinatio...

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a fatal disease characterised by elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation. Initial vasoconstriction, proliferation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC) and increased deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) contribute to pathological remodelling of pulmonary arterioles in IPAH. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), components of...