ABSTRACT
Hyaluronic acid (HA), or hyaluronan, is a naturally occurring
polysaccharide, discovered in the bovine vitreous humor by Meyer
and Palmer in 1934 [1]. It is ubiquitous in the human body and
its molecular structure is highly conserved among the mammalian
species. Thanks to its versatile properties, such as biocompatibility,
non-immunogenicity, biodegradability, and viscoelasticity, it has
been used for medical, pharmacological, and cosmetic applications.
More recently, with the development of different strategies for
the modification of its structure, HA has become an important
building block for the production of new biomaterials to be used in
regenerative medicine and drug delivery.
