Molecules 2019, 24(3), 617; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24030617
Efficient Degradation of High-Molecular-Weight Hyaluronic Acid by a Combination of Ultrasound, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Copper Ion
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
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Received: 1 January 2019 / Revised: 1 February 2019 / Accepted: 6 February 2019 / Published: 11 February 2019
(This article belongs to the Section Macromolecular Chemistry)
Abstract
Hyaluronic acid (HA) was depolymerized by a combination of ultrasound, hydrogen peroxide and copper ion. The structures of high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (HMW-HA) and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (LMW-HA) were determined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy. The degradations of HMW-HA using a physical method, a chemical method, and a combination of physical and chemical method were compared. The results show that HA can be effectively degraded by a combinatorial method involving ultrasound, hydrogen peroxide, and copper ion. Under the degradation conditions of 50 mM H2O2, 5.0 μM CuCl2, 160 W, pH 4.0, and reaction at 50 °C for 30 min, the content of glucuronic acid was 36.56%, and the yield of LMW-HA was 81.71%. The FTIR, CD, and UV-VIS absorption spectra of HA did not change with the decrease in molecular weight, indicating that the structure of HA remained intact during the degradation. View Full-Text
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Chen, H.; Qin, J.; Hu, Y. Efficient Degradation of High-Molecular-Weight Hyaluronic Acid by a Combination of Ultrasound, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Copper Ion. Molecules 2019, 24, 617.
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