Current analytical methods for the characterization of N-deacetylated hyaluronan: A critical review

Abstract

N-Deacetylated hyaluronan (daHA) has been widely investigated as a starting material to develop biomaterials with unique composition and performance. However, its structure elucidation remains a challenging task due to its polysaccharide nature. After the brief mention of its properties and preparation, this review critically evaluates different analytical methods and approaches to characterize this promising polysaccharide. A special attention is paid to the determination of the degree of deacetylation. Besides, the analysis of its molecular weight, primary structure, and deacetylation pattern is also described. The older procedures are compared with the advanced techniques to provide reliable description of daHA.

Keywords: Comparison of methods; Deacetylated hyaluronan; Degree of deacetylation; Distribution of substituents.