Hyaluronic acid-N-hydroxysuccinimide: a useful intermediate for bioconjugation

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an abundant nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan component of synovial fluid and the extracellular matrix. HA is an important building block for biocompatible and biointeractive materials with applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound repair, and viscosupplementation. Herein we describe the synthesis and characterization of HA-N-succinimide, an activated ester of the glucuronic acid moiety. This HA-active ester intermediate is a precursor for fluorescent probes, drug-polymer conjugates, and cross-linked hydrogels. As a demonstration, we used HA-NHS to prepare HA-BODIPY by coupling with the hydrazide derivative of the fluor. Intracellular uptake of HA-BODIPY into human ovarian cancer cells, which overexpress cell-surface HA receptors, was visualized using confocal microscopy.