Hyaluronic Acid: Basic and Clinical Aspects
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 67008
Special Issue Editors
Interests: hyaluronan; tissue repair
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a linear polysaccharide made by repeating units of glucuronic acid and N-acetyl glucosamine with a variable molecular weight ranging from 2 × 103 to 2 × 106 Daltons. It is present in all connective tissues where the charged macromolecule avidly binds water while enabling the organization of huge complexes of proteoglycans, such as in a cartilage matrix. In the past, HA was considered to be simply a structural component mainly of skin and cartilage, where HA exerts exceptional rheological, hygroscopic, and viscoelastic properties. The biomechanical role of HA has also been shown to be important for the normal function of the eye and joints. However, appreciation of the roles of HA were dramatically changed when deeper investigation identified its importance also in numerous cell functions: multiple cell receptors specifically recognize HA; small HA fragments stimulate angiogenesis; HA can initiate a signal transduction cascade in many cell types while inducing modifications in cell behavior; and certain cell types will respond to HA as a functions of its molecular mass. The biosynthesis of HA is also unusual, since it is synthesized at cell surface and extruded directly into the extracellular matrix. More recently, novel approaches have developed from the chemical modification of HA. Its esterification with benzyl alcohol has enabled the production of medical biomaterials in different forms, such as membranes, nonwoven tissues, gauzes, and tubes. It has also been possible to seed esterified HA materials with multiple human cell types in vitro to obtain human tissue equivalents such as dermis, epidermis, and cartilage. These in vitro reconstructed tissues can be useful as tissue substitutes in wound healing and cartilage repair. Recently tubular structures (with a diameter of 2 mm) of esterified HA have been used as a temporary guide for the regeneration of small vessels in rats and pigs.
Apart from the extensive promotion of HA for cosmetic applications, the clinical development of HA and HA derivatives is expanding particularly in the fields of articular pathology, ophthalmology, and cutaneous repair and aging.
The great potential of this polysaccharide has stimulated the interest of pharmaceutical industries, which has provided new strategies for the production of HA and the formulation of numerous new derivatives.
Prof. Giovanni Abatangelo
Prof. Jeffrey M Davidson
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- hyaluronan
- drug delivery
- skin
- hydrogel
- inflammation
- nanoparticle
- wound healing
- scaffolds
- cancer
- osteoarthritis
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.