Branched Hyaluronic Acid for Reduced Viscosity and Enhanced Moisturization

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Dermatology

Background:

• High-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (HA) possesses excellent moisturizing properties but its high viscosity limits applications.
• Current skincare, cosmetic, and medical device formulations face challenges due to HA's viscosity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a branched hyaluronic acid hybrid (bHH) with reduced viscosity and maintained moisturizing efficacy.
• To evaluate the moisturizing performance of bHH compared to linear HA.

Main Methods:

• Chemically coupling low-molecular-weight HA (200 kDa) with high-molecular-weight HA (700-2500 kDa) to create branched structures.
• Assessing the solution viscosity of branched and linear HA at various concentrations.
• Evaluating the moisturizing effectiveness and water-binding capacity of branched and linear HA formulations.

Main Results:

• Branched HA (bHH) exhibited significantly reduced solution viscosity compared to linear HA, especially at higher concentrations.
• bHH demonstrated equivalent or superior moisturizing effectiveness to linear HA.
• Branched HA significantly enhanced water-binding capacity compared to simple mixtures of linear HA.

Conclusions:

• Incorporating branched structures into HA effectively lowers viscosity without compromising moisturizing potential.
• Branched HA offers improved usability for skincare products and skin-contact medical devices.
• This approach enhances hydration performance and expands the application scope of HA-based formulations.