Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026

Micropatterned Surfaces to Study Hyaluronic Acid Interactions with Cancer Cells
Published on: December 22, 2010
Influence of water content and drying on the physical structure of native hyaluronan
Alena Průšová1, Frank J Vergeldt, Jiří Kučerík
1Laboratory of Biophysics, Department of Agrotechnology & Food Sciences, Wageningen University, Dreijenlaan 3, 6703 HA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Hydration properties of semi-diluted hyaluronan were studied by means of time domain nuclear magnetic resonance. Based on the transverse proton relaxation times T2, the plasticization of hyaluronan which was precipitated by isopropylalcohol and dried in the oven have been determined at water content 0.4 g of water per g of hyaluronan. Above this water content, the relaxation times increased and levelled off around 0.8 g of water per g of hyaluronan which agrees well with values determined earlier by differential scanning calorimetry and dielectric relaxometry. The freeze dried and oven dried samples showed differences in their physical structure such as glass transition, plasticization concentration and sample topography which influenced their kinetics and mechanisms of hydration. Results confirmed earlier hypothesis that some native biopolymer structures can be easily modified by manipulation of preparation conditions, e.g. drying, giving fractions with specific physicochemical properties without necessity of their chemical modification.
Related Concept Videos
Drying Shrinkage
A portion of this drying shrinkage can be reversed; if the concrete is...
Glycosaminoglycans
GAGS are found in the extracellular matrix of vertebrates, invertebrates, and bacteria. Due to their polar nature they attract water, and serve as excellent lubricants or shock absorbers in an animal body.
Hyaluronic...
Connective Tissue Fibers and Ground Substance
Aqueous Solutions and Heats of Hydration
When ionic compounds dissolve in water, the ions in the solid separate and disperse uniformly throughout the solution because water molecules surround and solvate the ions, reducing the strong electrostatic forces between them. This process...
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which the addition of water breaks down a polymer into its simpler monomer units. For example, peptides break into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, and DNA into nucleotides. Enzymes often facilitate these processes.
Hydrolysis Reverses Dehydration Synthesis
Complex carbohydrates can be broken down by breaking the bonds between individual sugar units. The reaction breaks a glycosidic bond as water is added to the compound. The...
Aldehydes and Ketones with Water: Hydrate Formation
The formation of hydrates is a reversible reaction. Hydrate formation is influenced by steric and electronic factors accompanying the alkyl substituents on the carbonyl group: The rate of hydrate formation increases with a decrease in the number of alkyl groups attached to the carbonyl carbon. Hence,...

