ABSTRACT
Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most commonly diagnosed joint disorders characterized by slowly progressing degeneration and erosion of the articular cartilage matrix. OA most affects middleaged and older populations and is generally present in weight-bearing joints such as the knees, hips, feet, and back. OA can hamper activities of daily living and decrease quality of life. It remains an important lifestyle-related and life-shortening disease, with the estimated number of people having latent OA reaching 24 million and those suffering from the manifest disease reaching 8.2 million [1] in Japan. Hyaluronan (HA) is present in all vertebrates and is also present in the capsule of some strains of streptococci. HA is also an essential component in many extracellular matrices in mature tissues. HA’s high capacity for holding water and high viscoelasticity give it a unique pro—le among biological materials and make it suitable for various medical applications.
