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HA metabolism in skin homeostasis and inflammatory disease

Rafaela-Maria Kavasi1, Aikaterini Berdiaki1, Ioanna Spyridaki1

  • 1Laboratory of Anatomy-Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece.

Food and Chemical Toxicology : an International Journal Published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association
|January 23, 2017
PubMed

Hyaluronan (HA), an unsulfated glycosaminoglycan, is an important component of the complex extracellular matrix network which surrounds and supports cells in tissues. HA is detected in all vertebrate tissues, but the bulk of HA is produced and deposited in the skin. In this review we focus on the role of HA in skin-associated inflammatory disease and wound healing. Properties of HA are directly dependent on its molecular weight. Thus, high molecular weight HA (HMWHA) is deposited in normal tissues during homeostasis and promotes their stability whereas low molecular weight HA fragments (LMWHA), on the other hand, may arise from enzymatic or chemical activities. The degradation of HMWHA to LMWHA fragments, often leads to the generation of biologically active oligosaccharides with different properties and postulated functions in wound scar formation and inflammation. More detailed studies of HA involvement in skin-associated inflammatory disease may result in novel treatment modalities.

Keywords:
Damage associated molecular pattern (DAMP)HyaluronanInflammationKeratinocytesSkinToll like receptor (TLR)Wound healing

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