Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a linear macromolecular acidic mucopolysaccharide widely distributed in human and animals. In 1934, Professor Meyer of Columbia University isolated hyaluronic acid from bovine vitreous, and then Kendell extracted hyaluronic acid from fermentation broth in 1937. Today, the output of hyaluronic acid raw materials in China has ranked among the top in the world.
HA consists of glucuronic acid and acetylglucosamine. It exists in extracellular matrix, especially in dermis and epidermis. Unlike other glucosaminoglycans, HA is not synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum, but by three subtypes of hyaluronate synthase in the cytoplasm on the surface of cell membrane.
HA is widely distributed in nature. In vivo, more than 50% of hyaluronic acid exists in skin, lung and intestine. In early studies, the main source of hyaluronic acid was umbilical cord. At present, HA can be extracted from animal tissues, such as chicken crowns, eye vitreous bodies, brain cartilage and joint fluid, and can also be fermented by bacteria.
