Hyaluronic acid: a natural biopolymer

This chapter gives a brief overview on glycosaminoglycans, with a special focus on hyaluronic acid/hyaluronan – its structure, occurrence, and function, along with its broadly enlarging applications. Hyaluronan biosynthesis, catabolism, and degradation as well as its technological input in regenerative medicine where hyaluronan is applied at viscosurgery, viscoprotection, and viscosupplementation is presented aswell. Also, special interest is focused on elucidating cellular mechanisms such as the effects of chemical pathways-driven oxidative stress.